


Would you lay with me in a field of stone

by Zoa



Series: Niima Outpost [3]
Category: Star Wars - All Media Types, Star Wars Sequel Trilogy
Genre: Alternate Universe - Farm/Ranch, Alternate Universe - Historical, Alternate Universe - Western, Babies, Blood, Blood and Injury, Devoted Rey/Ben Solo | Kylo Ren, F/M, Guns, HISTORICAL INACCURACIES ABOUND, Happily Ever After, Historical, Married Couple, Married Life, Minor Finn/Rose Tico, Newborns, Pregnancy, Religious Content, Snakes, Western, bit more of a fantasy western universe, bit of a spoiler that but who am i kidding of course they're gonna end up having a baby, eventual pregnancy, geological accuracy i don't know her, i can't give these people sadness for too long, little bit of angst but no worries, snakebite, that's what i'm going with to explain how this world works
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-08-21
Updated: 2020-05-02
Packaged: 2020-09-23 10:58:02
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 12
Words: 41,031
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20339008
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Zoa/pseuds/Zoa
Summary: A sequel to 'Of Letters and Last Names'Rey and Ben have been happily married for seven months, but a series of strange incidents on the ranch leads to strife and confrontations of the past.ORthe tiny bit angsty sequel to a very fluffy fic because i have no control and apparently can't help hopping on the pain train





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> The title is from the Johnny Cash song of the same name. I highly recommend listening to it for the feel I'm going for in this fic. It's very reylo.

In the seven months after Rey had taken the Solo name, a lot of change had come to Niima Outpost. The tiny blotch in the middle of the Jakku Desert lost its position as an outpost and became a small town thanks to the much anticipated arrival of the railway. 

With the small train station came new businesses, a proper doctor, even a sheriff. Old businesses died and some changed hands. Like Unkar’s shop. One day Unkar was running it and the next he was retired and the shop belonged to a tiny woman named Maz Kanata. The new owner took such a shine to Rey that she essentially adopted her. Rey was always welcomed and Maz took any opportunity she could to visit the ranch. 

The trains had blessed Falcon Ranch as well. With a station so close, Ben didn’t have to drive the herd to the nearest cow town - which was hundreds of miles away. He could load them up on the freight cars and send them on their way with little trouble. With little to no time spent away from home, which made Rey very happy. 

But of the many new additions to Niima, the best was the little girl that Finn and Rose welcomed into the world. They’d named her Paige, after Rose’s dear sister who she’d lost to tuberculosis a few years back. The baby was a darling girl and Rey took any opportunity she could to visit or have Rose over to the ranch. Though she had only known them a relatively short time, Rey didn’t think Rose and Finn had ever been happier. 

Of her own marriage Rey could say she was more than satisfied. 

She loved Ben Solo and he loved her. There was not more she could ask for, nor indeed more that she wanted. 

Of course life wasn’t perfect. There were still hardships: some of the cattle had escaped, a well had dried up, a couple of the fences needed to be fixed after some dust storms, and she and Ben argued. 

Heavens how they could argue. Sometimes a fight could last all day, only resolved when Ben came home from tending the ranch.

But Rey was determined that no night pass in her marriage where she didn’t sleep in the same bed as her husband. If they had to stay up til dawn to figure it out then they damn well would. Thankfully it had not yet come to that. 

Rey silently hoped it never would as she traipsed out onto the front veranda of Falcon Ranch’s main house, her and Ben’s home. 

It was a big house with a first floor for a kitchen, a dining room, a living space with a fireplace, and a second story consisting of two bedrooms. Whatever the original plans for the house were before Ben took over, now it was a home. Their home. 

The desert sun was beginning to set behind the pillars of rock that surrounded the valley to the west when Rey stepped outside, waiting to see her husband ride back into the yard along with the rest of the hands. She leaned against one of the wooden supports for the covered porch, watching the horizon as she did every evening, surveying the property from its center. 

When Unkar had told her there was a ranch half an hour east, Rey hadn’t fathomed just how big an operation it was nor how it had managed to function in a brush coated desert. But Falcon Ranch was a diamond in the rough. That it had gone so long without being taken over a miracle considering it was only a thirty minute journey from town. Then again, before the rail, not many in Niima could afford to run such a big piece of land. 

Situated in a valley between two high outcroppings, the ranch survived on an underground lake which left the soil fertile in a blanket of green grass. It was more green than Rey had seen her entire life and she’d nearly wept when Ben brought her to it the first time. 

Ben had told her the history of the ranch not long after they were married. When Niima Outpost had been a mere tent village for a wagon trail, Ben’s father had been there and settled on what would become Falcon Ranch. He’d been young at the time, in the service of an ambitious, daring man named Beckett. Beckett had been told some tale that out in the Jakku Desert was an oasis just waiting to be claimed and turned into a goldmine. He’d acted on it and, miracle of miracles, found it: a thousand acres of green land. 

Beckett had settled there and started his ranch. Some kind of falling out happened between Han and he and Ben’s father had left and returned east, where he met Ben’s mother. And that was that. 

Somehow, Ben wasn’t sure how, the ranch ended up completely abandoned. Even Beckett left. Everyone originally involved had died or moved further west and it was forgotten until Ben’s uncle found it and Ben claimed it. 

After the incident that caused his father’s death, Ben had moved out there to start anew, to work his birthright. With rumors at his back of an expanding railway, Ben had decided to take a chance on the fabled oasis in the desert. 

As she watched the horizon, counting down the seconds, Rey was glad he had. 

_Should be right about… now_. 

On cue, about eight horses and riders appeared silhouetted against the sun as it sank beneath the earth. The leader would be Ben, Rey mused, and there to his right was Finn. As they approached the property line, Rey saw Finn wave to his boss and trot off toward his own home, where his wife and infant daughter were waiting. The other ranch hands moved off toward the bunkhouse built for their use and only Ben remained, cantering straight toward the main house. 

They had fifteen ranch hands in all, but the other half were out with the herd, watching over them. Tomorrow night they’d come in for rest while the others took their shift. 

Rey liked nearly all of them. Of course Finn, Ben’s foreman. There was Dopheld - an eager young man but he was kind and helped Rey around the house sometimes on his off days. Rex, Wedge, Cody, Biggs, Cassian (who preferred being called Cass), Wes, McQuarrie, Owen, Matt, Pat, Charlie, Clyde, Flip, and Moden filled out the rest of the crew. 

Some of them had arrived on the last train and she hadn’t gotten to know them yet beyond a brief introduction and small talk when they came to the house for breakfast. The only one she definitely didn’t like was Moden, an old timer who was with Ben when he’d first arrived. He always had a glint in his eye, like he was waiting for something, and she didn’t like it. Rey kept her suspicions to herself, however. It wouldn’t due to sow discord between Ben and his employees. 

She made sure their bellies were full and she’d already taken care of that with Rose’s help that day - the ranch hands supper was waiting for them in their bunkhouse. But, as far as Rey was concerned, while they were invaluable and she appreciated their hard work, she only cared about the man who was now trotting up to the veranda, clothes covered in dirt and grime, black hat faded from days in the sun.

“You look terrible,” Rey unfolded her arms and walked over to the steps up to the porch, next to which Ben had dismounted Silencer. Her husband barked out a laugh and took his hat off, shaking his sweat soaked hair out before running his hand through it. 

“You had a good day, huh?” he quipped, mounting the stairs two at a time until he was toe to toe with Rey. She had to tilt her head up to look him in the eye. He seemed tired; there were a few lines around his eyes that hadn’t been so prominent that morning. 

“I did, actually,” she answered. “Rose and I had a lovely afternoon together with Paige.”

He smelled like leather, dirt, and sweat - a combination that shouldn’t have been so heady but to Rey it was heaven and she breathed it in like fresh air. Ben tilted his head to the side, lips twitching into a smile. 

“That baby sure is cute,” he murmured and one of his arms went around her waist and Rey was tugged closer to him. She eyed him warily, her hands rising to rest on his biceps. “Too bad she doesn’t have a playmate…” he added and pressed his lips to Rey’s forehead. She sighed contentedly and closed her eyes. 

“One day,” she said softly, then added: “If you’re good and finish your supper, might happen tonight.”

His arms tightened around her and he moved his lips down her temple to her ear. “What about right now?” he whispered hoarsely. Rey’s breath caught and her fingers dug into his arms. The temptation was nearly too great, but she had a hot meal waiting on the table. 

Rey lifted her mouth to his ear and said softly: “After supper.”

A laugh rumbled through his chest and he raised his head, releasing her as he did so. 

“Fine. I’m starving anyway.” 

His wife rolled her eyes and nodded at his horse. “Don’t forget about him.”

Ben looked offended that she would so much as suggest he would forget his precious Silencer. “I’m shocked, woman. Shocked, I say.”

“Call me ‘woman’ again, you’ll be more than shocked,” Rey scolded. Ben raised his hands in surrender and stepped backward, but wore a cocky grin on his face. 

“Understood.”

****

Once Ben had taken care of Silencer and cleaned himself up, he and Rey sat for dinner. It was the usual fare: roasted potatoes and green beans from Rey’s own garden and salted beef with one of the loaves of bread Rey had baked with Rose when she’d gone to visit that morning. 

They ate in silence, Ben inhaling his food like he’d never eaten before in his life and Rey somewhat distracted from hers because of it. 

After the second time he’d choked on a potato Rey’d had enough. “Ben, stop! Slow down! What will people think if they find out you died choking on my cooking?”

He swallowed his mouthful and grinned at her. “Just tell ‘em what you promised for after. They’ll understand.”

The blush that heated Rey’s face must have been a sight. “And what about your mother?” she challenged, daintily patting at her mouth with her napkin. “You want me to tell her the same?” 

“She’d only be upset about it if I died before we gave her a grandchild,” he responded mildly. “At least, that was the impression I got from her last letter…” He shrugged. 

“What?” Rey squeaked, mortified that Ben and his mother had been corresponding about such things. “Is she asking about… about _that_?”

He nodded. “And she’s gotten more insistent we come for a visit. Said it’s about time I made good on the promise.” His face fell and Rey sobered. While she and Ben had always intended on going back east to see his remaining family, the subject was a sensitive one and the trip had been delayed and delayed some more. Ben still felt guilty about his father and Rey got the impression that despite Luke’s help in finding the ranch again, Ben and he didn’t get along. She hadn’t yet pried out of her husband just why. 

Rey got up from her seat across the table and took the one next to his, placing her hand on his arm. “I think she’s right,” she murmured. Her husband worked his jaw, trying to control the storm of emotions that usually rose when they discussed his family - which wasn’t often if he could help it. “I’ll be with you,” she added firmly. “Right here. At your side. Where I’ll always be.”

A mixture of awe, love, and desire passed over his face and raised goosebumps on Rey’s flesh. He’d been lonely for so long before he came to Niima. Before meeting her. She’d been in much the same boat. Or rather, sandpit. 

Two lonely souls in a desert.

His eyes darted to her lips and Rey smiled. “Come on, husband.” She stood and held out her hand to him. “The dishes can wait. Take me to bed.”

The chair he’d sat in practically flew back in his eagerness to obey. Before Rey could admonish him, however, he’d swept her up into his arms and strode out of the kitchen. 

Their bedroom was on the second floor and he took the single flight of stairs two steps at a time - easily done even carrying her - and in half a minute they were inside and he’d kicked the bedroom door closed. 

Rey had never been one for the literal idea of sweeping a girl off her feet - that kind of romanticism didn’t mesh with the rest of life - but she didn’t seem to mind when it came to Ben. On the contrary, in fact. He could sweep her up as often as he pleased. As he laid her down on the bed, gentle as could be, she drew him into a deep kiss, sliding her fingers through his hair. 

In his arms she felt the safest. When he held her she knew she was cherished. And when he made love to her, she knew he was hers forever. 

****

Later, Rey dozed happily comfortably tucked against Ben’s chest as he nuzzled her neck. She hummed in contentment, glad to be enveloped by his arms, skin to skin, his massive body blocking out the rest of the world. 

“You never told me about your day,” she murmured with a yawn. A kiss was pressed to her cheek and she smiled. “How was it?”

Hesitation and then: “Fine.”

Rey frowned at the curt reply and tilted her head toward him. “What does that mean?” More hesitation. Rey adjusted to lay on on her back and turn her frown on him. “Ben? Tell me.” 

“I’d rather kiss you.” He mumbled instead, dipping his head and doing exactly that until she gently pushed him away. 

“Ben,” she said again, in a warning tone with which she knew he was familiar. He groaned and pressed his forehead to her clavicle in a sign of surrender. 

“Another eight cattle went missing last night,” he admitted, breath warm against her skin. “The fence was down on the north side.” 

They’d lost a few cattle the week before, assumed to have escaped during a dust storm that hit the valley, but to lose more so soon… now she understood why he’d seemed so tired earlier. 

“My best guess is the stupid creatures knocked it down and ran out,” he continued in a grumble, shifting down to rest his ear against her heart. His hands took gentle hold of her waist and he took a deep breath, releasing it slowly as he relaxed against her.

“Something must have spooked them.” Rey said and she cradled his head, carding her fingers through his soft hair. “An animal?”

Ben snorted. “Probably just a prairie dog minding its own business. In any case, combined with what happened last week, now I’m twenty short for the next shipment. I’ll have to give the buyer a reduced price.”

The latest order was over a hundred head and Ben had been careful to budget their still growing herd. He could replace the missing cattle with some of the others, but that would leave the ranch at a detriment for any other buyers until they could breed more. At the moment the fledgling ranch was in a precarious balancing game. While she was concerned, Rey wasn’t going to pile more anxiety on Ben by voicing it. He needed support. Besides, if it all failed, they had each other. To her it didn’t matter if they had a big ranch house and a thousand acres - she just needed him. 

“It’s just a bump in the road,” she murmured to reassure him. “We’ll be fine.” 

He lifted his head and cast an adoring smile at her that made Rey's cheeks heat. “You’re too good for me, y’know,” he said.

Rey left an admonishing pat on his shoulder. “Nonsense.”

“And you still blush when I smile at you,” he added in a murmur, eyes roving her face lovingly. “D’you think that’ll stop when we’ve been married for awhile?” he asked, his brows knitting together slightly. Rey couldn’t help smiling at such a concern - always thinking of the little things, her Ben. 

“Maybe,” she replied, brushing a wayward lock of his hair back from his forehead. At the disappointed look that passed over his face she added: “But there’s one thing that I know will never stop.”

“What’s that?”

“My love for you.”

She watched his face turn from utterly devoted to hungry in two seconds before he launched forward and captured her mouth with his in a searing kiss. Rey slid her hands across his broad back, welcoming him into her arms for the second time that night.

And as he drew from her a chorus of gasps and breathy moans, she thought that, whatever may pass, she was very glad to be Ben Solo’s wife.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A new day on Falcon Ranch - and more trouble

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> (there's talk of miscarriage in this chapter, but specifically about cows. disclaiming it here just in case.)

The sun blazed through the east-facing bedroom window, its light teasing at Rey’s eyelids until she was forced to open them. Ben was still wrapped around her, his face buried in her hair, snoring softly. Rey was loathe to move and wake him but she needed to dress and prepare breakfast. She was already running late and there were seven hands plus Ben to feed and they were probably about to rip her kitchen door down for their meal. 

Reluctantly and slowly as she could, Rey attempted to wiggle out of Ben’s arms. However, the massive man did not budge and his hold actually tightened. A muffled noise of protest drifted from his pillow and Rey narrowed her eyes. 

“How long have you been awake?” She turned to face him and found him slowly blinking his eyes open. The fool thought she couldn’t tell he’d been faking? 

“An hour.”

Rey gasped and pushed at his shoulder to move him. “Ben, I was supposed to be up half an hour ago! The men need-”

“I gave the boys a loaf of bread,” he interrupted. Rey gave up trying to wriggle out of his hold with a frustrated huff and a glare in his direction. It was then she realized he was wearing pants, which meant he had indeed gotten up then returned to bed. 

“I’m sure they loved that,” she replied sarcastically. “And what did you say about me not being there to give them the hot meal they expect in the morning?”

Her husband fully opened his eyes at that and rose up on an elbow. “If they’d dared ask, I would have told them you were still in my bed and not obligated to give them any such thing.”

Rey eyed him with a raised brow. “_Your_ bed?”

“Our bed,” he corrected. “But the rest goes.”

“Ben,” she pressed a palm to his cheek. “It’s my responsibility and I really don’t mind.” Her favorite activity it was not, but she was the only person on the ranch with decent cooking skills. McQuarrie often asked if she wanted him to make the meals, but as his experiments with food often resulted in blackened bits of stone and small fires, she preferred to make them herself. 

Ben turned his head to kiss her hand. “But maybe I wanted you to myself for awhile longer. I always had a problem with sharing when I was a kid.”

“I’m just making breakfast, love.” Rey laughed but he pouted and she pressed her lips together to stop. “Anyway, you get me the rest of the time. _All _of me, might I add. That’s something none of them’ll ever have. Unless you die. Then I might be forced to marry one of the scoundrels. Y’know,” she pursed her lips, pretending to consider. “Dopheld is- Ben!”

The pinch he gave her ass was light and not at all mean-spirited but surprised her nonetheless. 

“I’m sorry, what were you saying?” He asked, blinking innocently. “Dopheld is what?”

She narrowed her eyes. This could not stand. “He’s nice, helpful, good-looking,” she sniffed as she counted off the reasons. “I think he’d be a fine second husband.”

A glint in Ben’s eye and a twitch in his mouth warned her but she wasn’t able to move fast enough before he ducked under the covers and proceeded to viciously tickle her in retaliation. 

“Ben!” Rey screeched and tried to wiggle away while gasping through sobs of laughter. She pounded his back but her weak attempts did no good; he was absolutely hell-bent on wrecking her. “Ben! Stop, stop, stop! Please, please, I- _oh.” _

Her protest died with a sigh as the tickling persecution was replaced with the sweet touch of his mouth. 

Maybe they could stay in bed for a little while longer after all. 

****

After the first morning in they’d had since the first week they were married, Rey prepared a rushed breakfast for the two of them and they sat to ate. She watched him for a moment, gathering her courage to say what had been on her mind since the night before.

“I’m going into Niima today,” she announced as he shoveled the hash she’d prepared into his mouth. “And, um, I think I’ll buy train tickets to Chandrila.”

He stilled, the loaded fork halfway to his mouth. Rey watched it slowly drift back to his plate. Ben’s eyes were cast toward the table but Rey could see how his shoulders had tensed. 

“Then you could send a letter to your mother telling her we’ll be there soon,” she continued lightly, attempting to make the topic like any other conversation but he remained unmoving. Rey tried to be patient but when he didn’t respond after about thirty seconds she couldn’t help herself. “Ben, look at me.”

Her husband raised his head, a resigned look to him. Rey waited for him to give the final confirmation for what she knew was a hard decision for him to make. In her head she cursed his uncle for whatever the man had done to torture Ben so. She knew it was unkind and probably not the best way to consider her in-law before meeting him, but she hated to see her husband in such a way. 

With a deep breath and a slow exhale he nodded. “You should do that. I’ll write the letter tonight and send it tomorrow morning.”

Rey stood and moved to embrace him, standing behind his chair and sliding her arms around his shoulders. “Remember, I’ll be with you,” she murmured and kissed his cheek. “I’m always with you.” His fingers encircled her wrists and he leaned his head back to capture her lips with his own. 

The kiss was brief but enough to tell Rey he understood. 

“Now get to work.” She ordered as she broke away. “You’ve idled long enough.”

As Ben slid his chair back, the feet scraping the wood floor, Rey picked up their plates and placed them in the sink to wash. Before she could turn to gather up the rest she was tugged backward into the arms of her husband. 

He rested his chin on her shoulder and Rey sighed but made no effort to escape his hold.

“I do believe you’re trying to get rid of me, wife.” He murmured then turned his head to press a kiss to her neck. 

“Haven’t you had enough?” Rey asked, tilting her head to the side and allowing him access despite her scolding. He hummed against her throat and she closed her eyes as he marked her with another lazy kiss. 

“Of you? Never,” he whispered in her ear. “Never.”

For a few moments he held her against his chest, lips pressed to the crook of her neck. Rey got the notion that if he’d had his druthers they wouldn’t leave the house all day and while she longed for such a thing, the ranch needed him. But she couldn’t find it in her to push him away. 

Thankfully, she didn’t have to. 

“Hey, boss!” Finn appeared on the kitchen porch and pushed open the screen door into the room. Taking advantage of the distraction, Rey made to free herself and finish clearing up but Ben’s arms tightened around her, refusing to release her. Rey huffed. He was incorrigible. 

“What is it, Finn?” Ben asked with a bit more bite than was needed. Rey tilted her head up to catch his eye with a chastising look and Ben pursed his lips. “What is it?” he asked again with less vitriol. 

The foreman looked between the pair with amusement, apparently unfazed by his boss’ mood. Rey supposed Finn had seen worse from the man - she’d only experienced a small dose of it every now and again, but apparently Ben had been quite unpredictable and easily irate before their marriage. “A couple of the cows calved last night,” Finn said. “And we think the rest are about ready to. You said you wanted to know.”

Ben’s chest expanded against Rey’s back as he sighed but a second later his arms disappeared and he joined Finn at the door. Rey slid her hands down her apron, at a loss now that he was gone, which was ridiculous. She had things to do. They each had responsibilities that couldn’t be shirked. That morning was an anomaly and she would treasure it but that’s all it could be. 

“I’ll meet you in the yard,” Ben was saying to Finn. His foreman nodded and tipped his hat to Rey before vanishing. Ben strode the other way, into the main part of the house, and Rey trailed him to the entryway by the front door to lean against the stair banister. 

A coatrack fashioned as a wedding gift from Clyde - a master carpenter if Rey ever knew one - stood beside the front door and on it hung their most used coats and hats. She watched Ben slip his long black coat on, followed by his black Stetson. As he arranged the Stetson just so, Rey couldn’t help smiling. 

He was every bit the mysterious stranger who had popped into Unkar’s store and captured her heart with his beautiful handwriting and ancient eyes. 

Those eyes now turned on her from under his hat, a quizzical look in them when he caught her staring. 

“What is it?” 

“I was just thinking of the first time I saw you,” she replied and gestured to her own head. “Your hat wasn’t so faded then.”

Ben snorted and slid his fingers along the rim of his hat. “Wasn’t married then either. Sun’s a bit brighter now, it seems.” He strode over to her and kissed her forehead. “I’ll see you later, sweetheart.” 

He hadn’t gone a half step before her fingers curled into his coat and she pulled him close again. This had nothing to do with wanting him; not exactly. It was born from an anxiety she experienced everyday: even though there wasn’t much that could harm him out in the fields with the herd, there was enough to make Rey nervous. 

“Be safe,” she whispered, same as she did everyday. “Come home.”

And, same as he did every day, Ben drew her into a sweet kiss that relayed his promise he would. 

Rey walked out with him and stood on the veranda as he mounted Silencer, who Finn had waiting for him. She waved the two men on as they cantered away. When only their dust trails remained she turned back into the house to start her own day. 

Normally she would clear up the rest of breakfast and then go out into her vegetable garden and weed, but that would have to wait, she thought wistfully as she looked out onto the green plot. 

She had to buy those train tickets before Ben changed his mind. 

****

Dopheld was working in the barn that day, clearing up and replacing old hay, when Rey got there. He paused in his work to help her saddle up Millie, an old gray mare who’d seen better days but was still sturdy enough to be Rey’s main transportation to and from the ranch. 

Seeing him gave Rey a touch of embarrassment because of her conversation with Ben that morning. The poor man had to be questioning why her face was so red but, bless him, he didn’t mention it. 

“Goin’ in to town, Mrs. Solo?” He asked, tightening the cinch as Rey fed Millie a sugar cube. 

“I am,” she replied, wiping the excess sugar on the trousers she’d made for herself. She favored trousers when riding. They were more comfortable than a skirt and Rey often considered wearing them all the time. “To buy tickets. Ben and I are going to visit his family on the next train.”

Doph looked around Millie’s shoulder and Rey nearly laughed at his bewildered expression. “You really got him to agree to that?” He shook his head. “You do work some magic, don’t ya Mrs. Solo?”

At that Rey did laugh. “I’m not a wizard, Doph! Besides, we’d planned on it. He just needed a little push. He’s ready.” 

The ranch hand shook his head again. “He’d never do it on his own. You’re the only one he listens to.” 

“I’m not!” Rey protested. “He listens to Finn and you and the rest of the men.”

“About the ranch, sure, ‘cause that’s our job. Honestly ma’am,” the young man stepped up to Millie’s head and looked at Rey earnestly. “Me and the rest of the boys who knew him before coming here have seen a change. For the better. ‘Cause of you. He’s happy. And he don’t yell at us nearly as much.” He added with a chuckle. 

Heat suffused her cheeks again but Rey was grateful for the kind words. She’d hoped she had made Ben as happy as he’d made her. It was a relief to hear from a third party that she had succeeded. 

“Thank you, Doph,” she said with a smile that she hoped conveyed just how much the words had meant to her. “I’m glad Ben has men like you working for us.”

The ranch hand tipped his stetson to her, a blush appearing on his own face. “Thanks kindly, ma’am. Well,” he looked at Millie. “She’s ready. Need a leg up?”

“No, I think I have it,” Rey moved to Millie’s side, grasped the base of the horse's mane and, in one smooth motion, swung up into the saddle. Doph handed her the reins with a grin. 

“Shoulda known better, huh?” He remarked. Rey grinned back and nodded. 

“Now you do,” she quipped and swung the horse around. “I’ll be back in a couple hours, Doph.” With that she trotted Millie out of the barn and headed west to Niima.

**** 

The day was surprisingly mild - not too hot with a touch of a breeze - and after a pleasant half hour Rey guided Millie to a post in front of Maz’s store. Rey’s former place of employment. The horse nickered softly in protest when Rey dismounted and tied the reins to the post. 

“Don’t worry,” Rey cooed. “I’ll be back soon and I’ll give you some more sugar.”

She’d once shaken her head at how Ben spoiled Silencer with peppermints, but now that Rey had Millie, she understood. The creatures worked hard for their humans; it was the least the humans could do to treat them every now and then with snacks. 

The horse blinked and tossed her silvery mane, but seemed to understand. Rey smiled and pat Millie’s shoulder before heading across the street to the train station. 

Buying the tickets took all of ten minutes - it would have only taken two had the ticket teller, Aayla, not been so chatty and insisted on asking Rey about married life, having become recently engaged herself. When she was finally handed the tickets, Rey politely extracted herself from the conversation and rushed out of the station with the tickets stuffed safely into her leather shoulder bag. 

She returned to Millie to give her a sugar cube as promised, then walked into Maz’s store to say hello to its new owner. 

“Rey, child!” The tiny lady who now ran the store greeted her from the back counter. “It’s about time you came to visit!” It had only been about a week since Rey’s last expedition to Niima, but Rey appreciated the sentiment. Probably more than Maz would ever know.

A grin spread wide across her face as she approached the counter. “Maz, it’s good to see you too.”

The old woman was also smiling, but the smile fell slightly when Rey got closer and Rey slowed, puzzled. 

“Is there trouble, dear?” Maz asked and Rey’s mouth fell open. Maz couldn’t possibly have been able to tell there had been issues at the ranch just from an expression. And not even a morose expression. Could she? 

“Well…” Rey hesitated. It wasn’t untrue, but Ben and she hadn’t discussed how to answer any questions about it. Especially not in the case of someone somehow pulling the truth out of thin air. “Not trouble. Just little things.”

Maz hummed and walked around the counter to join Rey. Her short red hair, streaked with grey, was done up in a tight bun. She wore trousers as well and in fact was the very person who’d convinced Rey to try wearing them. 

“Tell me, dear.”

Without need for more prompting, Rey explained the unfortunate circumstances happening at the ranch.

“Speaking for myself, I can’t say I’m too worried,” she added. “I’ve seen worse happen to people. But to see Ben so concerned… I don’t like that.” 

Maz gave her an understanding nod. “These old eyes have seen many successes and failures, Rey. Too many times the failure happens because of impatience. Persevere. All will turn out. Tell that to your worry-prone husband.” Her wrinkled eyes danced with amusement. 

Rey laughed and promised she would. After buying a pound of her favorite candies, Rey departed and to return to the ranch in time for lunch. 

****

Half an hour later Rey trotted into the house yard. To her surprise, Ben, Finn, Moden, and Cass were there, standing in a circle near her garden. Their faces were serious and no one seemed to notice her arrival until Rey dismounted and lead Millie right up to them. 

“What’s going on?” She asked Ben warily. Rey caught Moden’s eye for a second and shivered at the cold that lay behind his placid face before returning her attention to her husband. 

He looked solemn and worn as he answered her. “Calves were stillborn.”

“All of them?” Rey gasped. It wasn’t possible all of them had failed. But Ben nodded. 

“Every damn one,” he spat and took his hat off to run a hand through his hair. 

“How?” Rey asked, leaving Millie’s reins on the ground to go stand beside her husband. The entire thing seemed to be too much of a coincidence. 

“Best guess we got is they got stressed. Somehow all at the same time,” Cass answered grimly. “Maybe the same thing that caused the ones that stampeded the fence.”

Ben folded his arms across his chest. “I’m putting the whole crew in the fields for the next few days. I want to know what is happening and if it happens again, someone is gonna stop it.” 

“Is that really necessary?” Moden asked and Rey shot him a glare. That question was certainly unnecessary. “Whatever predator scared the cattle, it slipped past half of us with little trouble. I can’t imagine everyone being out there will make much of a difference.” 

“I do,” Ben snapped then turned to Finn, effectively shutting down the protest Rey saw Moden preparing. “Make sure the rest of the men know before the end of the day. Start the shifts tonight.”

“Yes, sir.” Finn nodded and clapped a hand on Moden’s shoulder in a pointed way. He seemed as unpleased about the older man’s question as Rey was. “Come on, Moden. Cass, tell the guys still in the barracks.”

The three men dispersed and Rey was left alone with Ben. 

Rey watched as her husband’s shoulders drooped and his chest deflated in a heavy sigh. She did not hesitate to reach forward and slip her hand into his. She received a gentle squeeze in return.

“I was counting on those calves to replace the ones we lost this week.” He said. “I don’t understand how this happened.”

“I don’t either,” Rey murmured, hurting for him and just as confused. Those cows hadn’t all miscarried for no reason and she wasn’t convinced it was some wild animal. “But we’ll fix it.” She added. His responding look was doubtful but Rey pushed on. “We will,” she insisted, then scowled in a playful way. “Do you think me a liar, Solo?”

Ben barked a laugh and pushed their clasped hands behind Rey’s back, drawing her into his chest. “I know better than to think that,” he said but Rey was dismayed to see the worry lines on his face return a second later. “I’ve got a feeling, Rey, none of this will end well.” 

She raised her free hand to palm his scarred cheek. Another mystery she’d yet to solve about him. “All things come together for good in time, Ben,” she said. “Have a little faith. Persevere.” Maybe Maz’s advice would help him. 

A hum rumbled through his chest. “In any case, I can’t see leaving the ranch now.” He said as he raised his head. “We’ll have to put off our trip to Chandrila.”

Rey frowned. She wasn’t surprised by his statement but wasn’t going to allow it either. “No, we’re not. I’ve already bought the tickets and,” she put her finger over his lips to stop his next protest, “and I think it will be good for you. For us. Take some time away and clear our heads. Finn will take care of this place."

A silent argument proceeded between them, a stubborn scowl etched into his face that usually meant he wasn’t going to let up first, but Rey was not going to back down. It wasn’t just that she thought it would be beneficial for him. She wanted to meet his family. They were her family now, too. Maybe that got conveyed through her face because as soon as she thought it he sighed and bent to press his forehead against hers. 

“Fine,” he relented as he lifted his head. “We’ll go. Just for a week. But if anything happens we’re coming right back.”

“I wouldn’t have it any other way,” she replied and grinned happily up at him. “Thank you.”

He released her hand and slid both his arms around her. Rey reciprocated, looping her arms across the back of his neck. 

“At least I made you smile.” Ben eyes were soft and loving as they looked down at her and Rey blushed, reduced again to a simpering schoolgirl under that gaze. A roguish grin appeared on his face. “There’s that blush.”

“Fool.” Rey shook her head but despite the word she lifted herself on her toes and kissed him lightly. She should have known that wouldn’t be enough. As soon as her mouth touched his, Ben tightened his hold around her and deepened the embrace. The man had no qualms on the displays of affection he gave his wife in public. Nor, for that matter, did Rey. 

Especially when it seemed he needed to hold her. 

After another moment they parted, Ben being the first to pull away. Rey sifted her fingers through the hair on the nape of his neck before withdrawing as well. 

“You want lunch with me today?” She asked softly. Normally he, along with the other men, took something with him to eat while watching the herd, but as he was there she figured he might as well stay. He nodded and Rey smiled, taking his hand. 

Together they put Millie away before they headed back to the house. Rey hoped, as they walked toward their home, that he knew that’s how it would always be. Her beside him, step for step, regardless of what trouble might come their way. 

Sometimes she got the sense he didn’t really believe her when she said it aloud. Like he really did think he didn’t deserve it somehow. That he didn’t deserve her. 

Perhaps when they visited his family some light would be shed over why. 

Most of all Rey hoped she was right and that the trip would be good for them. For him. 

But, if it turned into a disaster, she thought wryly, then at least any children she and Ben had wouldn’t have to suffer through awkward family reunions. 

Always a silver lining. 


	3. Chapter 3

One week later Rey and Ben were exiting their train at Tosche Station, Chandrila’s main transportation hub. Rey marveled at the magnificent building as they walked through it to the exit: a ceiling at least fifty feet high was suspended above her as if by magic, decorated with breathtaking scenes inspired by classical myths; sparkling chandeliers dangled from every other fresco, reflecting the sunlight that entered through the many windows situated high on the walls. The marble floor beneath her echoed the hundreds of footsteps of the rushing crowd flowing around her and Ben, making for their trains or rushing to the Harvey restaurant already buzzing with patrons, the famous waitresses busy serving the midday meal. 

While Rey was taking in everything she held tightly to Ben’s hand, afraid she might get lost in the crowd and never find him again. She was both terrified and thrilled and they hadn’t even made it outside the station yet. What would the actual city be like? Bigger than anything she had imagined, certainly, if Tosche Station was any indication. 

Chandrila was the first time she’d been outside of Niima Outpost in her life and already she was overwhelmed. 

“You alright?” Ben leant down to whisper in her ear. Rey shook her head and took his arm with her other hand, sidling closer as a large group of finely dressed ladies pushed by them. They eyed Rey as they passed, glancing over her plain clothes curiously and with some disdain. Rey knew it wasn’t fashion, but it was her Sunday dress. Or maybe it was the hat she wore: one of Ben’s old Stetsons that had lost its shape but had served Rey well. Her boots were worn too. The entire ensemble didn’t compare to the fine clothes Rey saw around her and she huddled into Ben’s side, trying to hide her dowdy appearance but was instantly ashamed by her own actions. Why did she care so much?

“If I let go I’m afraid I’m going to be swept away.” Rey whispered back. She could see the grand brass doors that marked the exit and blew out a breath in relief. Ben slipped his hand from hers but before she could protest he slid his arm around her waist and pulled her closer. The action drew more stares from various people sweeping past them. Apparently even physical affection was odd to city folk. 

“I won’t let that happen,” Ben told her and Rey huffed. He squeezed her waist and gave her a wink and she couldn’t resist smiling. 

Ben pushed open the grand doors to the station and Rey blinked at the burst of sunshine that greeted them. When her eyes adjusted to the late-afternoon brightness, she nearly gasped at the sight before her. 

Carriages and wagons rolled down a cobblestone street, keeping time to the cacophony of shouts and conversations that surrounded the busy train station as travelers came to and fro, mixing with the pedestrians hurrying down the sidewalk. All along the street stood buildings high as the red rock mountains that surrounded the ranch. Rey looked behind her and saw that the station building itself also stretched toward the sky. She’d never dreamt that artificial structures could be so big. 

“Remember,” Rey jumped as Ben leaned down to whisper in her ear, his arm tightening around her. “I’ve got you.”

****

They hired a carriage to take them to the Organa-Solo house and as they crept closer Rey noticed the hold her husband had on her hand grow tighter. It seemed the nerves she’d been experiencing before had immigrated to him. Except his anxiety was born of deeper fears. Rey placed her other hand atop his, brushing her thumb over his wedding band. Ben looked down at her and she touched her lips to his. 

“I’m right here.” She murmured. “I won’t let go.”

The carriage rolled to an abrupt stop and Ben stiffened, his hand almost painfully squeezing Rey’s. A few seconds later the carriage door opened and Rey stepped out, followed by her husband who had not released her hand, nor did she want him to. When Rey raised her head after stepping down from the cab, she gasped at what she saw. 

She’d known the Solo’s were a wealthy family, but she hadn’t expected a veritable castle.

Built from the smoothest stone Rey had ever seen - marble, Ben explained later - the structure was huge, twice, maybe three times, as big as the ranch house. It was old, Rey could tell, but still magnificent with rolled carvings decorating the twenty windows on the front. She couldn’t imagine what it looked like inside. 

“Ben.” Rey turned a raised brow on him. 

“I guess I should’ve warned you,” her husband responded in a sheepish tone. 

Before Rey could respond, the grand oak doors to the mansion opened and an older, stately gentleman in a frock coat stepped out. He bowed to the couple. When he straightened he spoke in a clipped, excited accent. 

“Master Ben. Welcome back. It _is _good to see you.”

Rey saw her husband's pale face flush in embarrassment at the formal greeting and tried to repress a grin. 

“Threepio.” Ben cleared his throat. “It’s good to see you, too. This is Rey, my wife. Rey, meet Threepio, my family’s ancient butler.”

“Ben! Don’t be rude.” Rey hissed before she smiled at the butler. “It’s very nice to meet you.”

What Rey thought was a smile lifted the corners of the man’s thin mouth. 

“It’s so very good to meet you at last, Mistress Rey! Mistress Leia and Master Luke have been eagerly anticipating your arrival!”

A tumult rippled through Rey’s stomach at the same time Ben’s grip on her hand tightened again and Rey returned the hold in kind. Threepio directed the carriage driver where to take Rey and Ben’s luggage, then turned and ushered them inside the mansion. 

The two of them walked in tandem behind the butler as he lead them into a richly decorated foyer, lined with tables filled with generations of artifacts from Ben’s family. 

A smooth, grey marbled tile lined the floor and echoed the click of Rey’s boots as she stepped through the hall. Her heart raced faster and faster as they approached an open door that spilled light and quiet voices out into the foyer. Her fingers were numb from Ben’s hold. She was fairly certain his were too. 

They stopped in the open doorway and Rey saw Ben’s only surviving family for the first time. The two figures in the room were sitting together at a small table, looking over tiny portraits arranged in a velvet lined box.

“Mistress Leia! Master Ben and Mistress Rey have arrived!” 

Rey sucked in a breath as Ben’s mother and uncle stood at once and faced their visitors. 

Leia Organa-Solo was beautiful. Rey could tell even from the doorway that Ben had inherited her soulful brown eyes. Long brown hair streaked with grey sat atop the woman’s head in intricate rings of braids Rey was sure had taken hours to form. She wore a dress the color of a stormy sky and had a medal pinned to her breast like a broach. Rey couldn’t tell what it was from. 

The man beside her was dressed in dark clothing as well. His salt and pepper hair reached his shoulders and a scraggly beard covered his face. There was hesitancy in his demeanor: his hands kept moving positions, from his pockets to behind his back and then they returned to his pockets. 

For a moment everyone stood assessing everyone else. Leia was the first to move. She strode forward with the grace of a queen and met Rey and Ben at the door, but her attention was on her son. 

Rey looked up at Ben and saw him swallow, his face pale as he met his mother’s gaze. 

“Hi, mama.” His voice broke on the last syllable and Rey gripped his arm with her free hand. 

The older woman had tears in her eyes and opened her mouth to speak but no words came out. 

To fill the silence, Ben cleared his throat and drew Rey closer. “This is Rey, mother. My wife.”

Leia’s clear brown eyes fell on the blushing Rey and she smiled broadly. 

“Welcome home,” she said, her voice cracking with age and emotion. “Both of you.”

****

After the introductions, Rey and Ben sat together on a settee across the room from where his mother and uncle had settled. A cup of tea sat untouched in Rey’s hands, the fragrant steam wafting slowly to her nostrils. 

“So,” Leia cleared her throat and spoke the first word since Threepio left after delivering the tea five minutes before. “How is the ranch doing?”

Rey looked to her husband, who was also holding a cup of tea. In his hands the vessel looked like a child’s play thing. “Fine.” He replied and Rey nudged him with her elbow, encouraging him, and he took a breath. “It’s going well. Cleaned it up. Built a new barn. It’s on its way to its old standard.

“That’s good to hear.” His mother said with genuine warmth. “And you, my dear,” Leia turned her gaze on Rey, who nearly dropped the teacup and saucer. “How is ranch life treating you?”

“Oh…” Rey again looked at Ben, whose brown eyes were focused on her as if he, too, wanted to know the answer to the question. A loving smile appeared on her face. “I’m happier than I’ve ever been.” 

“That_ is_ good to hear.” Ben’s uncle spoke for the first time since Rey and Ben had arrived. Rey turned a frown on him, disliking the tone with which he spoke. As if he was surprised. Ben tensed beside her. 

Her husband’s reaction was all Rey needed to decide that she didn’t like Luke Skywalker. “Thank you, sir,” she said tersely then added reluctantly: “I suppose I owe some of my happiness to you.”

The old man tilted his head slightly in the same way Ben did sometimes. “How is that?”

“You helped Ben find the ranch. We wouldn’t have met were it not for you.”

Luke’s eyes flicked between Rey and his nephew. “I never expected he might find someone like you in a place like that.”

Rey narrowed her eyes, hackles rising, and from the corner of her eye saw Ben’s head shoot up and direct a glare at his uncle as well. 

“What-”

“Threepio!” Leia exclaimed in what sounded like relief and the rest of the party turned to view the butler standing in the entrance to the sitting room. “Is dinner ready?”

“Yes, Mistress Leia.” The butler seemed a little put out to have so many eyes on him but continued to do his duty. “Dinner is served.”

****

The tension that had developed in the small group dissipated somewhat over the meal but only because Leia controlled the conversation, never once letting it slide into hostility. 

Sometimes she’d shoot looks at her brother when he grunted or made a face as she spoke about Chandrila and Rey had to hide a smile behind her napkin. Ben didn’t say much, letting Rey be the focus of his mother’s attentions. Rey got the impression he preferred that, at least for now. After his uncle’s comment in the other room he hadn’t stopped glaring at the older man and only barely touched his meal.

As Leia described the Chandrilan society scene, Rey slid a hand beneath the table and onto Ben’s thigh to comfort him. His eyelids fluttered and a huffed breath escaped his chest but nearly instantly he relaxed, his shoulders dropping. Rey, used to doing as she pleased when it came to her husband, placed a kiss against the scar on his cheek. Ben immediately turned his gaze on her and Rey nearly wept at the weariness in his eyes. She couldn’t bear it and drew Ben in for a light kiss; he needed to know she was on his side. Always. 

When she pulled away she noticed Luke staring at them with a curious expression. Not disapproving, but again like he was surprised. Rey returned to her meal and refocused her attention on Leia as if she hadn’t noticed, but her hand remained on Ben’s leg. He slipped his own hand beneath the table and entwined their fingers together. 

If Leia had noticed the swift exchange of affection she didn’t let on, instead stoically continuing her so-far one-sided conversation. 

“…Wedge is of course a dear friend of the family and Mrs. Antilles is a lovely woman. I suppose you’ll meet everyone at the party this weekend,” she was saying and Rey whipped her head up. 

“Party?” 

Leia smiled and nodded. “Yes. I want to show you off, my dear. And celebrate your marriage.” 

“Mother…” Ben drew out the word in a warning tone. “We don’t want a party.”

His mother raised a brow. “I wasn’t able to be at the wedding, Benjamin. Let me have this. Besides, it’s a small gathering. Only a hundred or so of our closest acquaintances.”

Rey choked on the wine she’d taken a sip of. “A hundred?” she spluttered and Ben’s hand squeezed hers. “I- I didn’t know a person could know so many people…”

“It’s less about knowing them than it is about developing strategic ties.” Ben snorted. “No party, mother.”

“You’re talking to a wall, kid,” Luke cut in. “She’s already planned the whole thing and sent out the invitations.” He cut a tomato in two. “It’s too late.”

A brief moment of camaraderie passed between uncle and nephew as they shared a memory of, Rey imagined, Leia’s previous social gatherings. But it was over as soon as it happened and when they realized they were supposed to be at odds with each other, both men returned to sulking.

“I don’t have a dress for a party.” Rey blurted and blushed deeply in embarrassment. Leia leaned toward Rey with a conspiratorial smile. 

“Don’t fret. I’ve a plan for that as well.”

“You’ve got a lot of plans.” Ben muttered. 

Luke sighed. “When has she never?”

****

After dinner the family party returned to the sitting room for coffee, everyone in a lighter mood after teasing Leia about her plethora of arrangements, but it seemed the effect was temporary.

Rey noticed a portrait on in the corner of the room of an older man with grey-white hair and a cocksure smile. She wondered that she hadn’t seen it earlier. There was no mistaking the Solo charm that she knew so intimately. 

“Your father was a handsome man.” She murmured as Ben joined her. He stared at the portrait with a grim expression. “I can see the similarities between you.”

“Ben has much of his father’s heart in him, too,” Luke remarked idly but the comment seemed to stir something in Ben and Rey didn’t miss the way his jaw and fists clenched. “Isn’t that so?”

Rey glanced at Leia but the woman seemed just as puzzled about her son’s reaction.  


“I love that portrait.” Leia stated from the settee, apparently deciding that the best way to handle the situation was to ignore it. “Han hated it. He said it made him look stuffy but I told him the artist captured him perfectly and that he was being an old coot about it.”

“He just didn’t like that he had to sit for five hours a day for it.” Luke snorted and dropped into a chair. “He never liked being idle. Despite what he said about not caring, he liked to have something to do. Have a cause. Even if it was a lost one.” 

Rey wouldn’t have cared about what Ben’s uncle and mother were saying except that her husband seemed to be struggling, especially after Luke’s last comment. He couldn’t take his eyes off the portrait of his dead father and his chest heaved as if he’d been running miles. 

“Ben,” she whispered. He didn’t respond and Rey stepped in front of the portrait, blocking Ben’s view. His eyes drifted down to hers, on the verge of tears. In all the months they’d been married she’d never seen him look like that. What made the situation worse was that the cause of her husband’s grief was sitting as casually as he pleased, sipping a cup of coffee. Rey had never been angrier in her life and took a step forward to confront Luke but Ben’s hand on her arm stopped her. 

“I know that look,” he said. “Not worth it, sweetheart.”

“Bullshit.” Rey hissed, her glare unwavering from Ben’s oblivious uncle. 

A laugh rumbled through his chest, the expression in his eyes morphing from sad to adoring. “I love you.”

Rey switched her attentions at that, a blush decorating her cheeks. “Because I have a temper?”

He put a hand on her waist and shook his head. “Because - at least this time - it’s not directed at me.”

“You’re an idiot.” Rey muttered without ire but was grateful that her husband had recovered. They turned away from the portrait and rejoined Luke and Leia for an hour of strained small talk before retiring to Ben’s old bedroom.

****

Ben’s old room still contained some of the items from his childhood: a few books, some attempts at painting. Rey also saw an old calligraphy set that was still arranged neatly on the roll-top desk. She couldn’t help loving that most of all. 

Even though she would have loved exploring more of the room, the journey and day had been long and emotionally arduous and she was exhausted. She undressed and prepared for bed quickly, groaning as her head hit the soft, goose-down pillow. The bed dipped as Ben joined her seconds later, flopping onto his back with a heavy sigh. Rey turned on her side and placed her hand on his bare chest.

“Are you alright?” She asked, propping her head on her other hand. Ben worked his jaw and shook his head. 

“No.” 

Rey’s chest tightened. This wasn’t what she had hoped for. She’d hoped Ben might find peace, might find freedom from whatever demons pursued him from his past. And she’d wanted to know more about her husband and his family. Maybe it had been selfish - she hadn’t really considered enough how hard it might be for him. And now she saw how deep his wounds were. How resentful his uncle was. She’d witnessed firsthand the awkward, guilt-ridden looks his mother shot him despite her the levity of her conversation. She’d seen how affected he was by a simple portrait of his father. 

“I’m sorry, Ben,” she whispered and edged closer, tucking her head beneath his chin. “I never should have insisted on coming here.”

“This isn’t your fault.” Rey closed her eyes as he pressed his lips to the top of her head. “I don’t really know if it’s anyone’s. It just… just is. Don’t you worry about it. I’ve dealt with it before. I can do it again.”

Back when he was on his own, she supplied silently and a frown etched itself into her face. Back when she wasn’t around. The way he’d dealt with it was to run to Jakku Desert - to isolate himself. Rey would be damned if he’d do that now. 

She sat up and swung a leg over his waist, settling herself astride him. He looked up at her with wide eyes, his hands automatically rising to rest on her hips. 

“You’re not alone anymore, Ben,” she said and saw him swallow thickly. “Don’t tell me not to worry. Because I’m going to anyway so you might as well let me help you.”

“You shouldn’t have to,” he whispered. “You’ve already done so much for me.”

Rey leaned forward to press her forehead against his. “I’m your wife.” She said. “I _want_ to help you. I love you.”

Though she thought she would be mortified to enjoy the privileges of the marriage bed in her mother-in-law’s home, Rey experienced no embarrassment that night as she and her husband made love and she ensured him he was treasured. 


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> At last! An update! To all of you who have patiently waited thank you! I'm hoping that this story and my others will progress more regularly now. I'm excited for what's next and I hope y'all are too! ❤️❤️❤️
> 
> (also the chapter count went up because i have no self-control)

Unfortunately for Rey, she could no more stay in bed with her husband in his mother’s house than she could in her own, for at seven o’ clock a sharp rap sounded against the door and woke the happily slumbering couple. 

Rey lifted herself up on an elbow, forcing her eyes open to face the sun streaming through the blue curtains. A groan and shuffle from beside her alerted her to Ben’s rousing and she reached back to lay her hand on his arm.

“Rey dear!” Leia’s voice came through clear and bright. “Rise and shine! We have a busy day ahead of us!” 

When Rey opened her mouth to respond, a strange croaking noise floated out instead of coherent words and she coughed to clear her throat. 

“Thank you, Mrs. Solo.” She managed to say, though she was unsure of what the hell was going on or whether or not she should be thanking the woman. “I’ll be down soon.”

“Leia! You must call me Leia! And tell my son he’s to find his own way today. You’re all mine until this evening!” Receding footsteps followed, announcing the departure of the good lady of Solo manor. 

“This evening?” Rey repeated, puzzled. “Goodness, what _does_ she have planned?”

“Probably wants to take over the world,” Ben groused, his voice muffled. Rey glanced down to see that his head was half buried beneath the comforter. She shifted her body down to rest her head next to his, not ready to rise just yet despite his mother’s apparent urgency. 

“I don’t think I’m a good partner for that kind of endeavor,” she whispered and saw her husband’s eyes open to peer at her groggily. 

“Why’s that?” 

“Because I already have the world I want.”

****

As soon as Rey emerged from the bedroom, she was swept up in Leia’s whirlwind like a dust storm in the desert: engulfing and there wasn’t much you could do to fight against it. You just had to hunker down and wait for it to be over.

Ben’s mother did allow Rey to eat a quick breakfast, all the while discussing a dizzying list of plans for the day. As soon as Rey’s plate was cleaned of every crumb, the two women were in a carriage and trotting away from the manor. 

The only goodbye she managed to give her husband was a fleeting kiss on the cheek. Which, in Rey’s opinion, was not nearly good enough. 

Two hours later, Rey had received four new pairs of gloves, a number of hats, a cloak, and visited a tea house and eaten more treats than she’d ever dreamed she would eat. And that was just the start. 

Now she was standing upon a platform in a dress shop, wearing a gown worth more than two weeks of supplies for the ranch. A blue satin bodice was pulled tightly around her slight waist, the matching skirt a mountain of ruffles. Leia was fussing about like a coyote after her pups.

“I don’t think this blue one will do… it’s much too fanciful.” She waved forward the attendant assisting them, who brought with her four new gowns for Rey to sample. 

“What do you think, dear?” Leia turned to Rey, gesturing at the new selection. “Perhaps the white one? You are a bride, after all…”

Rey couldn’t form any words. All she could focus on was how many other dresses the fabric of _this one_ could make. Her face must have expressed her feelings because Leia paused and considered her for a moment. 

“Why don’t we take a moment and have some refreshments?” She nodded at the attendant, who disappeared along with the gowns. Leia pat the cushion beside her. “Come sit next to me, Rey.”

Sheepishly, Rey obeyed, carefully stepping off the small model’s platform and tiptoeing to the lounge. Sitting was a bit of an adventure because the full skirts of the dress Rey was wearing nearly prevented her from going down, but with some maneuvering she managed to get her ass to meet the cushion. 

Laughing, Leia pushed down the overflowing skirts of the blue dress where it had fallen in her lap. “This won’t do at all, will it?”

“No, I don’t think it will.” Rey managed a small laugh of her own. “I feel like a tumbleweed!”

Her mother-in-law laughed again and took Rey’s hand in hers. “You look like a vision, but am I right in feeling that this isn’t exactly your idea of an afternoon?” Earnest brown eyes met Rey’s own and Rey could not have been more relieved, if slightly embarrassed she’d been caught. 

“I don’t mean to be ungrateful,” she said. “I truly appreciate everything. Everything. You’re so kind. And you’ve been so good to me despite not knowing me…”

“Nonsense. You’re my son’s wife. And from what I’ve seen, you’ve made him happier than he’s been in a long time. I think, though,” Leia cast her eyes down and Rey thought she might be embarrassed as well. “I’ve been too zealous in my eagerness to spoil you.”

Rey tilted her head. “Spoil me?”

Leia spread her hands. “I’m an old woman gifted with a new daughter! I want to give you everything a girl should want. But I think all of this,” she gestured around the shop and to the bags laden with all of Rey’s other new things, “isn’t what _you_ want.” 

“It’s not that,” Rey shook her head. “But… it’s all… overwhelming. I’ve never had much. And everything I did have _had_ to be practical. This…” Rey gingerly touched the silky skirts of the dress. “This alone would be worth a month’s supply of medicine. Maybe more.”

“My, I must seem terribly wasteful.” Leia exclaimed, and while there was no ill will evident in what she said, Rey was mortified that she might have caused her mother-in-law any discomfort. 

“No! Not at all!” Rey rushed to reassure Leia. “It’s only that it’s all so new! You’re wonderful!”

“I’m glad you think so,” Leia pat Rey’s hand. “But I will try to be more sensitive. Compromise is a cornerstone of family, after all. And we are family.”

Family. A warm feeling washed over Rey and she smiled. There was a time she had no one. Then Ben. And she would have been satisfied with him. More than satisfied. But she welcomed the addition of Leia and even Luke. Though she would like to know what exactly had transpired between her husband and his uncle, if only to better understand her own place in the story. 

“Why don’t we go back to that green dress we started with? You looked so lovely in it and I think it was the most comfortable?” Leia queried hopefully. Rey nodded. 

“I did like that one.” She answered truthfully. Of all the gowns, the green satin she’d tested was the best. Simple, no mountain of ruffles to malign its full skirt. Off the shoulder sleeves and pearl buttons which lined the back. The more she thought about it, the more she liked it. “Yes, that’s the one!”

“Splendid. Ah! We’ve made our choice, Charlotte,” Leia smiled at the attendant, who had returned with a cart of champagne and various cakes. “The green one. Please help Re-” Leia stopped and gave Rey a strange, conspiratorial smile. “Help _Mrs. Solo_ into her own things, please, before she drowns in all that silk!”

The two women stayed awhile longer at the shop to enjoy their refreshments and ensure all the details of Rey’s dress were in order. The dress was a rush job and Leia was forced to do some convincing to get it done in time. Formidable as she was, the shop owner could not refuse Leia Organa. 

As they sat and ate their cakes, Rey’s thoughts wandered back to the mystery surrounding Ben's past. She should wait and ask Ben. But he’d been so evasive and now, after seeing how he interacted with his uncle, she doubted Luke would be any more forthcoming. Eventually, her curiosity got the best of her. If Ben wasn’t going to tell her then maybe Leia would. 

“What happened? To Ben? Why is there such animosity between he and Luke?” she blurted, sitting down on the floral settee beside her mother-in-law after gathering her fourth teacake. “I can’t get anything out of Ben and I don’t want to think of the answers I’d get from Luke.”

Leia sighed heavily and Rey thought the lines on her face deepened. 

“I’m not surprised Ben hasn’t told you. He should have,” Leia added with long-suffering roll of her eyes. “But I’m not surprised. How much do you know about Ben’s involvement in the war?” She asked, a serious expression on her kind face. 

“Not much,” Rey admitted. “I know it’s when he got his scar. That he ran with a bad group of people for awhile. That his father died because of whatever happened.” Rey saw Leia tense and wished she hadn’t brought the subject up at all. 

For a moment there was silence as Leia seemed to search for the right words.

“I don’t blame my son for saying so little,” she said quietly. “But to not tell his wife…” She shook her head. “Ah well. Perhaps it’s better this way.” Leia met Rey’s eyes and Rey almost shuddered, nervous now that she was going to hear the whole tale. Did she really want to? “Ben was a member of a mercenary group called the First Order. But it was a terrible, evil gang. They were out for themselves, allying with whatever side gave them the most money.”

The First Order. A shiver ran down her spine, the name invoking a primal fear she didn’t quite understand. Rey thought back to when Rose had told her a little about Ben’s past, the bad people he’d run with. How Rey had been so curious about Ben after their conversation that she’d snuck a peek into one of his letters, just to know more about him. And now a year later she was finally going to know his biggest mystery. 

“My son was so young.” Leia continued. “He wanted to prove himself. And he was lonely. Han and I were not as present as we should have been. Both of us were kept busy rebuilding from the last war and trying to stop another. A futile effort. We were exhausted but no one suffered more than Ben. We thought bringing Luke here to be with him would help. Give him stability. But they didn’t get along. They butt heads and argued and then Ben fell in with… with them. A man named Snoke corrupted him. Luke warned Ben against following the First Order, but he’d found… stability. Belonging. He thought he did. When we…” 

Leia paused to collect herself. Rey noticed how her hands shook before she curled them into tight fists.

“When Han and I realized the path our son was on, he and Luke went to bring him home. Ben was stubborn. None of us had realized how deeply Snoke had sunk his claws into my son’s mind. The way he’d twisted him.” Leia’s eyes flashed, her cheeks flushed. “There was a gunfight and Han was killed. Needless to say, that wasn’t what Ben wanted. It broke him. He blamed himself. The war was in full sway at that point. He joined the Resistance and fought until it was over. Then he came home. But he was distant. Luke was openly hostile and I was still grieving. I’d thrown myself into work again to numb the pain of it all. He came to me one day and told me he wanted to find Falcon Ranch. He needed Luke’s help. Finding that place so Ben could work it was the only thing they ever agreed upon. When Luke found it Ben left. And the rest is history, so to speak.”

There was a heavy moment of silence as Rey took in what Leia had told her. The tapestry of Ben’s full story mended itself in Rey’s mind and she marveled at how much she hadn’t known. What he hadn’t told her. What might still need to be said. Maybe he’d been too ashamed. He’d wanted to leave it all behind him. Forget everything he was and forge himself anew. She would have felt hurt if she didn’t understand it. She’d done the same thing when she married him. 

“I’m ashamed,” Leia bowed her head, “that I didn’t forgive him as I should have. If anything I drove him away again. I was so angry and still grieving that I didn’t see or care about my own son’s pain. I didn’t try to stop him from leaving.”

Rey reached forward and grasped Leia’s hands in hers. “He doesn’t blame you.” 

Sad brown eyes met Rey’s. “I know he doesn’t. He blames himself. I did that. I made him think he was a monster by not telling him he wasn’t. And I have to live with that for the rest of my life.”

****

The two women returned to the manor after the dress shop. It was nearly dinner time and both women needed to refresh before the meal. Not much was said on the way back. There was no hostility. Rey just had so much on her mind. She thought Leia understood, even more so after the older woman embraced her in the manor’s foyer. She offered a small smile which Rey returned. Leia had made mistakes, yes, but Rey could tell she loved Ben and was trying make amends. That was enough for Rey. They parted at the base of the grand staircase. Leia mentioned something about checking with the kitchen staff about dinner and Rey was in desperate need of a nap. The weight of the day seemed to drop all at once onto her shoulders when she mounted the stairs and she sighed, sagging against the banister. 

Movement from the top of the stairs drew her eyes up and she saw Ben looking down at her, brows almost meeting in a deep frown. Forgetting her exhaustion, Rey hurried up the stairs and into his arms. Ben was quick to respond, his arms encircling her tightly.

Maybe she should have been more conflicted about him after what she’d learned but if anything she was more in love with him. What he’d been through had changed him. The person he’d been before coming to Niima Outpost was gone. Dead. Like a serpent he’d shed that old skin for one shiny and new. He was her Ben now. Hers. 

“Hey, sweetheart,” he murmured. “You alright?”

“Now I am.” She rubbed her cheek against his black button up shirt and sighed. “I don’t think I’m built for shopping.”

A chuckle rumbled through his chest and he pressed his lips into the top of her head. Rey lifted her chin and kissed him properly. 

“I missed you.” He said as they parted. “Don’t like you being so far away.”

“You leave me at the ranch house all the time.” Rey pointed out, amused. They turned together and headed for their bedroom. “I’m miles away there.”

“That’s different. You’re not in a big city where who knows what could happen.” Ben huffed and opened the door to the room for her. 

“I was with your mother.” Rey didn’t even bother to remove her coat before she dropped onto the bed with a sigh and closed her eyes. How was it that she could go all day on the ranch and not feel a single ache but a few hours out in the city and her feet hurt like hell?

She heard a grunt beside her and she opened her eyes to see Ben on his side next to her. He reached forward to tug her into his arms and she slid willingly into his embrace. 

“My mother can be a challenge of her own special kind.” He murmured, nuzzling Rey’s cheek. 

“I like her.” Rey replied quietly. She closed her eyes and took a breath before adding: “Ben… she told me what happened. In the First Order.”

It wouldn’t have been right to keep her knowledge of it from him. But he wasn’t pleased. She hadn’t expected him to be.

He didn’t pull away from her but he tensed. “She shouldn’t have done that.”

Rey didn’t like his tone. It was cold and angry and his expression sent chills down her spine. She’d never seen his eyes so blank. As if he was wearing a mask. 

“I asked.” She told him. Surprise lit his face before his brows knit together again. “I-”

“If I thought it was important I would have told you myself.”

“Your past _is_ important. It’s a part of you.” Rey disentangled herself from his arms and sat up, a frown fixed on her face. “If you think it changes how I think of you, it doesn’t.”

Ben sat up; his face was still carefully blank. “What did she tell you exactly?”

Not sure how it mattered, Rey relayed the story Leia had given her. All the while she watched her husband’s face for a reaction but throughout he was motionless as stone. When Rey finished she waited a few moments for him to say something. Anything. But he was silent. 

Reaching forward, Rey took one of his hands in hers. “Ben. I love you. Believe me when I say that nothing will ever change that.”

She wasn’t ready for the intense sorrow that appeared when the mask he’d put up slipped off. Tears immediately sprang to her eyes and she cupped his face in her hands. Her thumb brushed over his scar tenderly. 

Ben leaned his forehead against hers and released a shuddering sigh. “I…” he swallowed and tried again. “It was my fault. My dad… I could have stopped it. I could have. I _should’ve_-”

“Shhh,” Rey pressed her mouth to his in a brief, soothing kiss. “It’s not your fault.”

“Snoke…” His hands were gripping her waist tightly enough Rey thought she might bruise but she didn’t say anything. He needed a tether. “He…Snoke told me to fire on him. It was my final test.”

Leia hadn’t told her that. Had she even known? Rey couldn’t help the way her pulse skyrocketed. But still she remained silent. He was being honest. He was telling her his secrets. She wanted him to trust her. But when Ben pressed his full lips together and his chin quivered it took everything in her not to wrap him in a tight embrace. 

“I was going to. I had my revolver out. But I- I hesitated.” He barely sounded human, his voice was so hoarse. His breath came so quick Rey feared he was going to pass out. “Snoke got angry. I turned and he was holding a gun. Aimed at Han. I… I remember pulling my aim toward Snoke but then… Everything happened so fast. My dad… hepushed me so hard I fell and as I was falling I heard the shot.” 

Ben’s head dropped to Rey’s shoulder. Her arms curled around him and she cradled him there. He was shaking and she could feel the wetness of tears soak through her dress. There was a part of her that was so guilty she’d pressed to know his secrets. She hated seeing him so hurt. But he trusted her. He’d trusted her with this. And that meant more to her than he’d ever know.

“I love you, Ben.” She whispered and felt his body spasm against her, like the words somehow pricked him. “I love you. What happened wasn’t your fault.” Rey shifted away which forced him to raise his head. She looked him in the eye, hoping he was hearing her, believing her. “It _wasn’t_.”

The way he gazed at her - full of awe and a little bit of sadness - triggered an ache deep in Rey’s soul. 

“I don’t deserve you.” He whispered. “You should have a better man.”

“Don’t say that.” Rey was fierce. “You deserve to love and live and be with me. I don’t want anyone else-” the very thought brought the tears she’d been holding back down her cheeks “-I want _you_.”

And to her relief he smiled. A soft, shy grin. He lifted a hand and brushed his knuckles against her cheeks, chasing her tears. “This might make me selfish but I’m glad you feel that way.”

“I feel that way because you’re _not_ selfish. Mostly.” She added with a coy smile. “You do hog the blankets sometimes.”

A chuckle escaped his chest. “I’ll work on that.” He sobered and pulled her back into a tight embrace. “I love you,” he murmured. “Probably more than I should. Definitely more than I’ve ever loved anyone in my damn life.”

Rey lifted her head and gave him a gentle smile before pressing her mouth to his in a deep, long kiss that she hoped expressed how much she loved him. That he was her soulmate. That there was nothing that could change her feelings. No hard past. No argument they could ever have. No person. Now more than ever she knew where he belonged: with her. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next up, Leia throws a party!


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> okay so this is an absolute monster of a chapter and i'm not sure i'm completely happy with it but here goes! and sorry for the delay on it. i've had some personal things going on and have had a hard time finding the energy to write or honestly be online at all. that's changing but it's still slow-going. anyway, i love y'all and i am so grateful for all the kudos and comments! ❤️

Ben had been absolutely correct about his mother’s party habits. Standing at their bedroom window, Rey could see the guests arriving. And arriving. And arriving. It was a steady stream of gentlemen and ladies dressed in the finest silks and satins and it turned Rey’s stomach with nerves. 

How would these people - the richest in Chandrila, good friends and colleagues of Leia - see her?

She turned away from the window and considered herself in the room’s full length, gold-gilded mirror.

Her dress was beautiful, the deep green bringing out her eyes; Leia’s maid had done her hair into a braided bun that lay low against her neck - a chignon, she’d called it. Rey wasn’t wearing any jewelry except for a simple pair of gold earrings Ben had bought her as a wedding gift; Leia had offered some family pieces and Rey had tried them but thought they looked wrong somehow. As if the jewelry itself was judging her for attempting to wear it. So she didn’t. The outfit was finished with slippers the same shade as her dress.

All in all she didn’t look terrible. The corset she had to wear for the dress dug into her ribs a bit but she didn’t think that would be an issue. She was just so tan and freckled. Not at all like the dainty ladies with smooth complexions that she’d watched enter the manor. At least she’d be wearing gloves to cover her rough hands.

This morning she’d been excited. Now she was sick.

“Sweetheart?” 

Rey looked toward the door as Ben entered the room. He was in a new, black suit which fit him well and somehow made him seem even taller. His dark hair was clean and fluffy to the point of tempting Rey to run her fingers through it.

“Are you ready?” He asked. 

“It depends on how you mean,” Rey sighed and considered her reflection again. “Do you think they’ll like me?”

He appeared behind her in the mirror, brows raised. “Who?”

“Your friends,” she mumbled, smoothing down some folds in her dress. 

Ben’s strong arms slid around her waist and tugged her back against his chest. “You mean my mother’s friends? Who the hell cares. I like you.” He rested his chin on her shoulder. 

Rey sighed and leaned against him, resting her hands on his. “I know that. But these people… they don’t know me. They know you. Your family. They probably think you married a princess not a desert rat like me.”

“Hey.” He lifted his head to press his cheek to hers but there was a deep frown on his face. “What’s this about? I thought you were excited about tonight.”

“I was. I am,” she huffed in frustration. “But seeing all those people…”

“Listen to me.” His tone offered no alternative and she met his eyes in the mirror sheepishly. “None of those people matter. What they think doesn’t matter. I’m proud of you. I love you.”

Tears welled up in Rey’s eyes, threatening to smudge the makeup Leia’s maid had carefully applied. She sniffed and turned her head up to look at him. 

“Thank you.” She murmured. “That’s exactly what I needed to hear.”

He gave her a lopsided grin. “Anytime, sweetheart. I have an idea. We’ll spend an hour at the party and then,” he splayed a hand over the bodice of her dress - Rey wished more than ever that she wasn’t wearing a corset so that she might feel him - and pressed his mouth to her neck, his voice lowering to a rasp. “Then we go to bed.”

Rey couldn’t resist tilting her head to the side to give him more access to her throat as he slowly made his way over it with his mouth. “Only an hour?” she murmured, amused. “I don’t think your mother will be very pleased.”

There was a disgruntled noise from the back of his throat and his arms tightened around her. “Can you not mention my mother while I’m kissing you?”

“Sorry,” she said dryly. “But we should get down there. I can’t have you tearing this dress apart just yet.”

His eyes flashed as they caught hers in the mirror. “Don’t tempt me. All these layers of nonsense,” he huffed as he curled in his fists into the folds of her skirts. “Can’t feel nothin’.”

Rey could do nothing but grin in the face of his pout. “It’s all still there, trust me.”

“You know how I like to see things for myself.”

“You’re incorrigible. Now let’s go before your mother has a conniption fit.”

Ben chuckled and pressed a tender kiss to her temple. He pulled away and offered her his arm to lead her out of the room. 

Into what, Rey feared, was a lion’s den. 

****

Leia gave a grand introduction when Rey and Ben descended the stairs. Rey might have been more embarrassed by it except that Leia sounded so proud and happy. If anything, Rey was overwhelmed and immediately hugged her mother-in-law, not caring if it was a social faux pas. Luke was nearby, though he looked like he’d rather be anywhere else. Rey couldn’t say she didn’t wish the same.

The first part of the night was spent fielding a thousand questions from as many directions. 

“What’s it like on the ranch? It must be very sandy…”

“I’d hate to live in a place like that.”

“I never thought Ben Solo would settle down! How’d you catch him?”

It made Rey’s head spin. 

Thankfully Ben was at her side. He didn’t waver once - perhaps because of the iron grip she kept on his arm but Rey hoped it was because he wanted to be there. Even though the guests were making it difficult. 

Some of them weren’t as kind or friendly toward the couple; especially Ben. Rey knew they were the ones who knew or had guessed at the more sordid details of Ben’s past. She didn’t pay them any heed. They were only there to woo Leia or some other potential political ally and as such they were of no consequence to Rey. 

After one particularly boisterous conversation with General Antilles and his wife, Rey needed a libation and Ben seemed of the same mind because all she had to do was give him a pleading look and he directed them toward the table with the spiked punch provided by Leia’s talented kitchen staff.

The damn corset was making it difficult to walk and breathe but Rey thought she just needed a moment to collect herself. Ben lead her across the grand ballroom in which the gala was located. The room was big enough to fit everybody invited and probably more, the marble floor allowing smooth conveyance whether to dance or stroll. The high, ornately carved ceiling caused an almost deafening echo effect, reminding Rey of the canyons at home.

Breathless by they made it to the refreshments, the punch was sweet and cold with a tiny bite of alcohol and Rey nearly groaned as it flowed down her parched throat. 

“That’s better.” 

Rey looked up to see Ben had already drained his glass and was pouring himself a second. 

“How long has it been?” she asked. He pulled out a pocket watch from his waistcoat, a belated wedding gift from Leia presented to him before the party. It was one of the many Organa family heirlooms, once having belonged to Leia’s adopted father, Bail. 

“Half an hour.” 

Rey muttered a choice curse under her breath, eliciting an amused chuff from her husband. 

“And here I thought you were enjoying yourself,” he remarked wryly. 

“Apparently,” Rey paused to take a breath - the corset was being quite the nuisance, “apparently I’m a better actress than I thought I’d be.”

“Are you alright?” 

She could hear the concern in his voice and waved a hand. “I’m fine,” she insisted. “I just need a moment. It’s hot and I’m wearing a heavy dress.”

There wasn’t time for him to press the issue before one of the guests who hadn’t yet got their opportunity to speak with the newlyweds, waddled up to them to congratulate and draw them into another inane conversation.

And so the night progressed, far surpassing Ben’s one hour time limit. What was worse, the security of having Ben at her side turned out to be a temporary one; the more guests that arrived, the more often Rey was torn from her husband’s side, or he from hers. 

Of course Rey was pressed by the ladies attending. More questions and general conversation about life in the desert and marriage. The second half she didn’t mind altogether, except that it segued into Ben’s former marital prospects. Apparently, before the First Order and his subsequent enlistment, he’d been in the eye of many a Chandrilan socialite. 

“He was chased after quite a bit.” A Miss Browning giggled. She’d had one too many cups of punch - evidenced by a small red stain on her yellow dress - and as a result was less guarded with gossip than Rey imagined she might normally have been. Or maybe not. “He’s so tall and rugged… everyone wanted him.”

Another woman, Kaydel Connix, who Rey had taken an immediate liking to, huffed. “But no one caught his eye. Mrs. Solo,” she turned to Rey with a smile, “I do believe your husband was searching for you without even knowing it.” 

Rey blushed but was quickly distracted when Miss Browning hummed. 

“Perhaps. By Providence he found you, dear Mrs. Solo. But that Bazine Netal certainly put up a good fight.” She laughed, her green eyes bright with glee. “Everyone thought they would make a good match.”

“From what I understand Bazine was a nuisance,” Miss Connix waved a hand, the long sleeve of her blue satin gown reflecting the light in the room. “Not worth mentioning.” 

Wasn’t she? Rey couldn’t help wondering but the conversation was steered in another direction and Bazine Netal was forced to the back of her mind.

No, instead of thinking about the woman who’d sought after Ben and had been considered a ‘good match’ for him, Rey was drawn into a discussion about the best creams and the worst fashions arriving from overseas. Things she had no idea about but apparently were what made a lady, according to the women she spoke with, a lady. 

She’d never thought of such things before. Yes, she’d seen them mentioned in magazines and such that had come through the store in Niima Outpost but she’d never paid them much heed, too focused on her own survival and dodging Hux. 

Need she worry over them now? Did Ben wonder why she didn’t put some sort of eye cream on at night? Was it a problem she spent so much time out in the sun? She had to forcefully refrain from an urge to hide her freckles and for the second time that night she was glad she was wearing gloves so that the other women couldn’t see how calloused her hands were. 

Did Bazine have smooth hands? Freckles?

After the discussion on skincare, the women were joined by a married couple Miss Connix and Miss Browning knew and the conversation turned to politics and arts and more things Rey had no clue about. She’d just barely learned how to read and write her own name, much less what the hell the actions some king in a far away land was doing that affected the economy in the Republic. 

Ben was teaching her but it was slow going because of all the other responsibilities they both had on the ranch. Maybe she’d never catch up. Maybe she’d always be the uneducated, rough, desert rat…

Rey had to physically shake her head to stop herself from hurtling down the path which her brain had chosen. Ben had scolded her for such thoughts and rightly so. That would be the last of them. 

She hoped. 

The party continued on deep into the night and the later it got the more energy the guests seemed to have. It boggled Rey to no end, especially as she was having more trouble with the corset around her middle. How the other women in the room were still walking and dancing and breathing normally was beyond her; she was having enough trouble standing without the room spinning. 

Rey made her way to the libations table once again, hoping another cool drink would at lease salve the burning in her lungs from lack of breath. It did help a little, enough so that when Ben popped up beside her she was able to smile without grimacing. 

“I was about to send a letter to ask how you’ve been,” she remarked. “Maybe a telegraph.”

Ben laughed. “Believe me, sweetheart, I was on the verge myself. Are you feeling alright?” he reached into his pocket for his handkerchief before dabbing at her temple. “You’re sweating…”

“Fine!” Rey knew she answered too quickly. “A little tired. We’re past our bedtime.” She tried to give him a reassuring smile. 

He gave her a dubious look but before he could question her, his mother appeared seemingly from thin air.

“Benjamin! Rey! There you are! I have to introduce you to someone.” She gestured toward the entrance to the room, where Rey could see a very tall, shaggy bearded man who looked like he would be more at home in frontier fringe than the fancy suit he was squirming in, standing beside Luke.

Ben made a surprised sound. “Is that Chewie? I thought he was exploring the mountains?”

“He was,” Leia nodded. “But he’s back and he wants to talk to you.” She looped her arm through Ben’s. “Won’t you speak with him?”

Rey could see Ben was unsure, even nervous.

“I don’t know if…” 

“Go.” Rey said, touching her husband’s arm. She sensed whoever this man was, he was important. “Go talk with him.”

“Aren’t you coming?” He asked, eyes widening as if the thought she might not terrified him. But Rey didn’t know if she could move - at least, not right then. The damn corset and the heat of the room was making even standing difficult. 

But she wasn’t about to tell Ben that. No need to make a scene in front of all his family’s high society friends and prove how much of a bumpkin she really was. 

She shook her head. “I’ll stay here. I need more of this delicious punch.” She held up her cup with another smile. 

Ben’s eyes narrowed. It was obvious he didn’t quite believe her but he was already being tugged away by his mother and didn’t get the chance to say anything else. 

Rey breathed - or tried to breathe - a sigh of relief, allowing herself to lean against the table. She didn’t know if she could take much more of this. Maybe she could find a place to sit down; she just needed a moment…

“Mrs. Solo?”

Turning quickly (which turned out to be a mistake as it left her dizzy) Rey found herself facing a man with dark curls and mischievous brown eyes. He seemed to be a little older than Ben and was dressed in a military uniform. Resistance colors, she thought, with many medals pinned to his breast. 

“Y-yes.” She nodded once the room stopped spinning. “I’m Mrs. Solo. Unless you’re looking for Leia?”

“No, no. Excuse me for introducing myself, I know it’s not exactly protocol, but this is the first chance I’ve gotten to speak with either of you. I’m Commander Poe Dameron. Congratulations on your marriage.” He put out a hand and Rey took it, but instead of shaking it like she thought he was going to, he lifted her gloved knuckles to his lips. The move surprised her and caused her cheeks to heat.

“Thank you. It’s nice to meet you, Commander. Please, call me Rey.” She slowly drew her fingers out of his grip. “Dameron… I think my husband wrote to you? While he was getting settled at the ranch?”

“Call me Poe. Yes. I was overseeing his business interests here while he made the move.” 

Interested, Rey pushed past her increasing breathlessness to listen. “You’re friends?”

Poe hesitated. “Y-yes. The war - and Ben’s own choices - had a deeper impact than either of us expected. Or wanted. But I have hope it will return to how it was. I’m glad to see he’s happy and settled. You must be a charming woman.” There was a slight upturn to his mouth that, Rey was sure under certain circumstances, would have enchanted the woman he gave it to. 

Huffing out a laugh which seemed to strain against her ribs, Rey shook her head. “I’m not charming. Ask Ben. I wasn’t exactly a rose when we met.”

“I’ll have to ask Ben, but I’m fairly certain he’d disagree,” he responded with a grin. His eyes lit up when the orchestra struck up a lively tune, announcing a new dance. Poe offered his hand to hers. “Would you honor me with a dance?” 

Dance. She’d danced a little with Ben earlier but that was with _Ben_. He’d covered her clumsiness by nearly lifting her off her feet altogether. Dancing with a relative stranger was her worst nightmare. To make matters worse, Rey was fairly certain she was going to faint from lack of oxygen. Dancing would make that fear an absolute. 

“I’m afraid I’m not a very good dancer, Comm- Poe.” She tried to demur and hoped he wouldn’t think her rude. 

But Poe was already guiding her to the dance floor. 

“Nonsense,” he said, one hand coming to rest at a discrete place on her waist while the other held her hand aloft. “I saw you dancing earlier. You’re a natural.”

Rey felt anything but natural as he turned them in a thankfully slow waltz around the room. She was able to keep time more easily; it helped that her dance with Ben had given her some practice. 

They talked while they danced, speaking of Poe and Ben’s time as young men and the adventures they would have. Rey was delighted; Leia had some tales, but the motherly kind. The commander’s were the secret sort - the ones Ben would definitely _not_ want his mother to know. 

The trouble Ben had gotten into with the commander made her laugh to the point she was breathless - not a difficult task - and she had to force herself to stop or she’d faint. 

“But,” Poe continued after regaling Rey with a tale about Ben arguing his way out of being arrested. “Even though it got around, it still didn’t stop Bazine from wanting to marry him.”

Rey stiffened, nausea swirling in her gut. “Yes. I’ve heard mention of Miss Netal.”

“Oh,” Poe’s eyes widened but then he laughed. “That was a long time ago. Bazine chased him for years before he… uh, before the war.” He cleared his throat and Rey noted his awkward expression. Evidently he didn’t want to get too close to Ben’s affairs in the First Order. Neither did Rey. 

“I heard she was, ah, persistent.”

Her dance partner laughed. “Whatever public outing he was at, she was sure to be there. Everyone thought they would end up together. She’s here tonight, I think…” he looked about and nodded toward the opposite side of the room as they turned. “There she is.”

Heart in her throat, Rey turned her head to view the woman in question. She was tall woman with an elegant neck and carried herself like a queen. Bazine was laughing with a few of the other ladies but as Rey and Poe passed, her eyes met Rey’s in what Rey could only describe as open hostility. It was mutual (although Rey thought she at least managed to keep her expression neutral). As brief an interaction as it was, Rey could tell Bazine was the type of woman that was more comfortable spreading vicious gossip about another woman than actually getting to know her. 

Had the feelings Bazine fostered for Ben been in any way reciprocated? Rey couldn’t help the thought but was ashamed the second it entered her head. The ugly feeling in her gut was only helped a little by the commander’s next words. 

“She’s married now. Mayor Townsend. Poor fellow.” He snorted in amusement. “She’s a real nightmare. Ben dodged a bullet if you ask me. Rey… Are you alright? You look pale.” 

“Do I?” Rey managed a small smile, not sure if she was attempting to cover her emotions or the effect of the corset, which redoubled its efforts to strangle her. “Perhaps I need some more of that delicious punch.”

Her dancer partner seemed dubious but all the same guided them back to the other side of the ballroom. Slow as the dance was, when the commander returned her to the punch table, Rey was finding it all the more difficult to catch her breath. Whale-bone cut into her skin with every inhale. Even though they had stopped moving, the room still seemed to be turning. It was suddenly unbearably hot and she was nearly panting. Desperate, Rey put a hand on her waist and leaned against the table with the other, taking gasping breaths. But the corset seemed to tighten and trap the air inside her chest. The cursed thing was trying to kill her. 

“Mrs. Solo!” The alarm in Poe’s voice was obvious. “You’re not well! Please, you must sit!”

“I think,” she straightened as best she could. She had no idea how she was managing to speak at all through the lack of oxygen in her lungs. “I think I need some fresh air.” 

_Any air._

Rey saw Poe’s hand rise to support her but before it reached her arm, another, taller figure appeared at her side. Ben put a strong arm around her waist and turned her toward him, away from the surprised face of Poe Dameron. 

Relief washed over Rey even though her lungs continued to struggle to find air. Her fingers curled into the lapels of Ben’s suit and she leaned heavily into him. 

“I need a moment alone with my wife, Poe.” Ben said, a little gruffly, before he pressed his mouth to Rey’s ear. 

“I saw you almost fall against the table. What’s wrong?” he whispered, already guiding her toward one of the many french doors in the room which lead to the manor’s extensive garden. 

“I can’t… I can’t breathe.” She gasped. “Corset.”

An angry growl rumbled through his chest and he moved with more urgency. He ushered her outside and toward a bench situated in a hidden corner of the garden. Rey stumbled but Ben prevented her from falling and helped her to sit. She pressed her palms into the cool stone and tried to calm down but panic was quickly building up inside her as every breath became more shallow. Ben sat behind her and she flinched when his fingers began to rip through buttons on the back of her dress. 

When he managed to fight his way to the corset beneath, she heard a soft click - his pocket knife - and three seconds later gasped loudly when the pressure around her waist disappeared and sweet, sweet oxygen filled her lungs. She groaned and lowered her head to his knees, taking deep breaths to soothe her aching ribs. 

“You’re never wearing one of those things again.” Ben stated roughly, one hand on her back, fingers spread wide over her spine. His gentle touch was reassuring on flesh she was pretty sure was bruised. 

“No argument here,” Rey mumbled in reply. She caught sight of all the tiny, green buttons that Ben had popped off her dress in his haste to reach the corset and groaned again. “The dress-”

“Can get fixed.” She could practically hear his eyes roll. “It’s just a dress.”

“It was a pretty dress.” Rey slowly sat up and looked at him ruefully. “This wasn’t the way I imagined tonight going.”

He snorted. “That’s funny. A near disaster was exactly how I imagined it would go.”

An instinct she wished she’d had. The corset incident aside, Rey had to admit it hadn’t exactly been a dream night. Her anxiety at seeing all the lovely ladies enter the home hadn’t been unfounded. They were elegant. Regal, even.

She knew she didn’t belong. And they knew it. Rey hadn’t thought it would bother her. Not with Ben at her side. But when they were together - and in glimpses across the room when they were apart - she could tell he’d managed to fall back into some kind of instinct that he must have been born with. He wasn’t just a the quiet rancher with an elegant signature. He was Leia Organa-Solo’s son; a prince of Chandrila. 

Yes. She’d married a prince. A prince in disguise. Like some kind of fairy tale. Rey couldn’t help the thought that she was unworthy of such a match.

Knowing about Bazine only drove that splinter of self-doubt even further under her skin. 

All she wanted was to run back to the safety of their ranch, away from the silks and jewels and haughty laughter, back to the quiet, dusty, creaky old house. Even though she and Ben would return, it had never seemed so far away.

“Rey?”

Rey jumped and realized she’d been staring at him the entire time her mind was wandering. 

“Are you alright?” His tone was brimming with concern. “Is the corset still too tight?”

“No, no,” she let out a hoarse laugh. “I’m fine. Just thinking.”

He tilted his head in what she recognized was curiosity. “About what?”

“About you. And all of this,”she gestured around them, indicating his mother’s opulent house and the party still going strong inside. “Do you ever miss it? This life?”

His answer was flat and short. “No.” 

“Nothing about it?” She pressed. “The lifestyle, the people?”

A snort. “Especially not the people. They’re all terrible.”

“They can’t all be.” She frowned. “Admiral Antilles and his wife are lovely. And the Connixes. Kaydel seems so generous. And Poe is very kind.”

“Poe’s a scoundrel,” Ben muttered. “But decent enough, I guess. I still don’t regret leaving.” 

His words should have assured her, yet Rey still had that odd feeling in her gut. Like she was just on the verge of being sick. “Ben…”

He tilted his head back up, waiting for her to continue. Rey wasn’t sure how. She was afraid she was silly and more than a little stupid for her feelings. If she thought so than surely Ben would. Nonetheless, she couldn’t hold them inside.

“Do you think we’re a good match?”

Genuine confusion crossed his features. “What?”

“Do you think we make sense? As a couple?”

The confusion morphed into bewilderment. “Yes? Of course I do. Where the hell did that come from?”

Rey flushed, certain that if there was any light besides the soft glow coming from inside, her face would look like a tomato. “I, um, I learned you had a suitor… before… before you moved west. Bazine.”

There was a pause and he looked at her with a deep frown. Rey cleared her throat and continued to fill the silence which seemed to grate more than actual words. 

“She’s very pretty. And exactly the kind of girl I understand someone people expected you to end up marrying, instead of a nothing like me. I can’t help thinking-”

At that he broke his silence. “Do not compare yourself to _Bazine Netal…_” he paused and Rey saw his left eye twitch and his jaw clench tightly. “Just don’t.”

“I’m not comparing myself to her.” Rey was a mite defensive even though she knew she was doing exactly that. “I was just wondering-”

“Don’t.”

“Stop interrupting me!” Rey huffed in frustration. It was hard enough to organize her thoughts without his irate interjections. 

“Not until you stop with whatever nonsense is in your head right now.” Ben was almost growling. “This is why I didn’t want a party. Because of what they,” he jerked his thumb toward the ballroom and the loud, laughing people dancing inside, “are like. You’re not nothing, Rey. Not to me. You _know_ that.” He took her face in his hands. “You’re so _good, _Rey. Ten fucking times better than anyone in that room. I don’t regret a damn thing about leaving. I wouldn’t have met you if I’d stayed.” His face took on an almost pained expression, as if the thought of never having met her was hard to bear. “I knew I was in the right place because of you.”

Rey was well and truly chastised. He hadn’t meant it as an admonishment, she knew, but all the same she was. She’d let her thoughts and insecurities run wild even though Ben had assured and shown her time and time again he was happy. Even though she knew deep in her soul they’d been destined to find each other and be together. 

No wonder he’d left this awful city, if it put such terrible thoughts in one’s head.

“I’m sorry.” She gave him a small, sad smile. “Blame it on the corset.”

“When you get the cursed thing off, I’m burning it.” Ben replied with a deep scowl. “And you don’t need to be sorry. I am. I shouldn’t have left you alone in there with the wolves.”

She couldn’t help laughing at that. “It did feel like that, I have to admit.” She sighed. “Speaking of the corset: is there another way inside from here?” She looked about the garden, less than enthused about walking back through the ballroom with practically half a dress. “Since my dress is ruined?”

Ben glanced over her shoulder to survey the damage he’d done and grunted. “There’s a servant’s entrance,” he replied. “Back staircase too.” 

Thank heavens his family was filthy rich, Rey thought wryly. “Perfect.”

Her husband stood and offered his hand to her which she took gladly. But instead of guiding her toward wherever the back door was, he pulled her into his arms and kissed her. But what was a gentle caress quickly morphed into something deeper and Rey found herself breathless again for an entirely different reason than before. And when he pulled his mouth from hers it was only to press more heated kisses down her jaw and throat.

“Ben,” she gasped, though she made no move to stop him. “What are you… what are you doing?”

“Kissing my wife who I’ve had far too little time with tonight.”

“Ben…” Rey’s eyes fluttered closed as he dipped lower, pushing aside her loose sleeve to mouth at her exposed shoulder. “Someone might come out here…”

“Good. I hope they do.”

“Ben!” Rey reared back. “What on earth?”

He didn’t meet her gaze, his eyes wandering over her in a fashion unfit for the public, as if searching for the next place he was going to kiss her and it was nowhere decent. 

“So they’d keep their mouths shut next time they want to say who’s a good match for me,” he said, his hands sliding beneath her torn corset - he sighed in what Rey thought was relief. “Can finally feel you… haven’t had a chance with so many people around and that stupid deathtrap around your waist.”

She managed to laugh though it almost turned into a moan when he found his way back to a particularly sensitive spot on her neck. “That’s the point to… to a party, I think. People, not the deathtrap.”

“Another reason to dislike them.” He mumbled, walking her backward toward the vine covered brick wall that surrounded the house on this side, a feature she hadn’t noticed until her back met the soft greenery. Green leaves tickled her cheeks as she raised her eyes to his. They were blazing, the light from a lamppost on the other side of the wall reflected in their dark surface. “And we’re past our bedtime.”

“You sound like an old man,” she retorted. She slid her hands up his arms and neck to curl her fingers through his hair, relieved she could finally touch it the way she’d wanted to earlier. “An ornery old man.”

He hummed, his nose brushing against hers as he lifted his lips to her forehead. “And this old man wants to be done with this ridiculous party and bed his wife.”

“I should pretend to be scandalized and chastise you but I’m not going to. Does that make me brazen?” Rey pressed her mouth to his in a featherlight kiss. 

“Terribly. Wonderfully.” Ben replied in a rasp, lingering over her lips, seemingly begging for another kiss. But he pulled away - which Rey sensed was a struggle - and grabbed her hand. “Let’s go.”

“Wait.” Rey glanced back at the party guiltily. “We can’t leave without at least letting your mother know.”

Her husband’s face fell into an incredulous frown. “You want me to tell my mother I’m taking you to bed?”

Rey passed him a chastising look. “We are _retiring _to our room.” 

A smirk lifted his mouth. “I haven’t heard it put that way before.”

A blush lit her face but all the same she couldn’t help smiling. The way he turned her head was ridiculous. “Just get moving, Solo.”

****

Later, as Rey rested against Ben’s bare chest, sated and content with his arms around her in the safety of their room, the drone of the party made its way to her ears - still going strong even though it was near three in the morning - and her mind drifted back to how silly she’d acted before. She inwardly chastised herself again for letting her insecurities take control. Never before had she ever cared one iota what anyone had thought of her - except Ben - but one trip to a big city and all her confidence disappeared. The bare truth of it all was that she was disappointed in herself for allowing it to affect her marriage, even in the slightest. Hopefully Ben wasn’t as disappointed as she was…

“I can hear you thinkin’, sweetheart.”

Rey lifted her head to find him already looking at her, a sleepy smile on his face. No, he wasn’t disappointed; he’d let it go as easily as he breathed. For that she loved him even more. She couldn’t and didn’t try to resist kissing him, reaching up and palming his cheek to draw him closer. A chuckle rumbled through Ben’s chest and Rey pulled back with a scowl, a bit put out that he’d interrupted the contact. 

“What are you laughing at?”

“Now who’s incorrigible?” He teased. 

“Keep that up and I’ll run right to Doph,” she warned. The press of her mouth to his shoulder undermined the ultimatum but she didn’t care. Ben ran one hand down her side to her hip, which he gripped just tight enough to let her know his thoughts on the matter, and with his other brought her lips to his again in a bruising kiss which left Rey breathless and warm. “I guess you have some positive attributes,” she managed to say.

“Glad you think so,” he murmured and pressed another kiss to her forehead. For a little while a contented silence fell between them and Rey was nearly asleep when Ben spoke again. “By the way, we’ve got a new crew member.”

“Hm? Who?” she mumbled, letting her eyes shut again and tucking her head beneath his chin. 

“D’you remember that guy my mother pulled me to?”

Rey’s nose crinkled. “Yes. Had a funny name, didn’t he?” Ben’s chest heaved a little beneath her as he laughed. 

“Yeah, kinda. Chewie. He’s a really old friend of my family’s. Ran with my dad… he wants to retire out west and thought a good start would be helping us out as a cook for the boys.”

“That’s not really retiring.” Rey remarked. 

“I don’t think Chewie knows the meaning of retirement. But we could use the help.” There was another beat of silence before he said, in a quieter tone: “If I’m honest, I’m surprised he wanted anything to do with me.”

At that Rey’s eyes opened. “Why?”

“Because of what happened,” he murmured. “He was there, too, when…” he paused and Rey could hear him swallow. “He was my dad’s best friend. My adopted uncle. After dad died, I figured he never wanted to see me again and that’s why he went to the mountains. I thought he hated me.”

Rey lifted herself onto her elbow to look down Ben. “I guess you were wrong,” she said gently. “Just this once.”

He slid his fingers through her loose hair, his gaze softening. “Yeah, I guess I was. There was something else, though.”

“What?”

“He said he needed to talk to me. About something important. But he didn’t want to talk about it tonight. Said we could discuss it on the train back to Niima.”

A mysterious - downright ominous - message was the last thing they needed. “He didn’t say anything else?” Rey asked with a scowl. 

Ben shook his head. “No.” He sighed, all-too familiar lines forming between his brows. “I just hope whatever it is, isn’t more trouble.”

“We should sleep,” Rey murmured, determined not to let whatever Chewie had to tell Ben ruin what had ended as a good night. She pressed a kiss to his cheek before settling back down against his chest. “Worries can wait until morning.”

She hoped that in the daylight, things wouldn’t seem as dark.


	6. Chapter 6

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Chewie supplies information on an old enemy. Rey and Ben return to the ranch but receive bad news upon arrival.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey, y'all! I hope everyone is staying safe and healthy! I'm trying to make the best of it and get fics done! Woohoo!
> 
> I hope you guys enjoy this next chapter! Love y'all! 🥰

The day they left Chandrila was a busy one. Breakfast was swift, too quick, Rey imagined, for Leia’s liking. The tickets were for an early train, though, and Ben didn’t want to spend more time away from the ranch than necessary. He was already worried about what was going on there, even though Finn hadn’t sent word there was anything wrong. 

“He might not have wanted to worry us.” Ben had said and Rey couldn’t deny that was a possibility, though she hoped he was wrong.

While the footmen were loading the carriage with their luggage, Rey had a nagging voice in the back of her head that there was something off. She couldn’t help thinking she’d forgotten something but knew everything she’d brought and her new items were safely packed in their trunk. All the same, that voice remained, which left Rey no choice but to force it to the back of her mind. 

Leia was emotional, of course, as she bid goodbye to Rey and her son. Not hysterical but Rey could see the older woman’s eyes glistening with unshedtears and she held on for one second more when she embraced Ben. 

Her brother was, to Rey’s surprise, warm. He shook Ben’s hand, who was as shocked as Rey was at the overture. Perhaps, with time and a few more visits, they could rekindle some kind of friendly relationship. 

“I expect more frequent letters,” Leia said. “I won’t ask you to visit more often; I know you’re both busy.” 

“We promise to send more letters.” Rey assured her. A wave of emotion washed over her and she hugged her mother-in-law tightly. “Thank you,” she whispered. 

“Oh, my dear.” Leia cradled the back of Rey’s head. “I should thank you. You’ve made my son very happy. For that, I couldn’t be more grateful.”

Tears that had once been restrained flowed freely when the two womenseparated but neither were ashamed. Leia ushered them both toward the carriage ‘before she insisted they stay another day’ and, after Ben assisted Rey onto the carriage, they were off. 

Hidden away inside the cab, Ben heaved a deep - what Rey thought was a relieved - sigh and leaned back against the seat. When she looked his way his eyes were closed. Somehow he knew she was looking at him, though, because he reached forher hand and interlaced their fingers. 

“We’re going home,” he murmured. Rey scoot closer to him and rested her head against his shoulder. 

“Yes,” she sighed. “Home.”

****

It wasn't until she and Ben were seated in their compartment on the train, awaiting Chewie, that Rey remembered the thing that had been eluding her. She jolted in her seat, startling her husband. 

“What’s wrong?” he exclaimed, immediately alert. 

Rey stared at him for a moment, wondering if there was, in fact, anything wrong. No. She was only a day or so late. That meant nothing. 

“Nothing. Sorry, I thought I’d forgotten something. I didn’t.” 

Ben gave her a curious look but relaxed against the seat. They spoke for a bit about the new chickens Ben had bought for the ranch. Rey was excited to have fresh eggs and something other than beef to eat - plus the chickens would rid her garden of pests. 

_It’s the simple things_, she thought with a slight smile.

The relative peace didn’t last long. A few minutes later Ben’s friend appeared at their compartment door. Taller than the frame, he loomed over them in frontier fringe (Rey guessed he’d changed into it as soon as he could after the party). Ben stood and opened the door to him.

“Ben.” Chewie greeted, his voice more like a growl than Rey had ever heard a man speak. “Mind if I join you?”

Rey’s husband stood aside to allow the massive man inside the compartment. “I don’t think you met Rey the other night…”

“Nope.” Chewie had to bend considerably to enter. It was a tight squeeze between the two men and Rey almost laughed at the sight of them figuring out how to sit comfortably in a cramped room with barely enough legroom for her, much less two men well over six foot. “Pleased to ya, ma’am. Apologies we never gotta chance to talk at the party.”

“No need. Ben and I did leave early. I, um,” she couldn’t help the flush of embarrassment that heated her cheeks. “I was very tired…”

Chewie held up a hand that might have been better described as a paw and shook his head. “Understood. I don’t like the damn things much - pardon my French, ma’am - either.” 

Rey smiled. There was a charming, humble quality about Chewie that made her warm to him immediately. Yet beneath the gentleness, she could tell he wasn’t someone that should be crossed. She’d seen the type before. Quietly deadly. Like Ben. 

A good friend to have. A dangerous enemy.

“It was my first party of the kind.” Rey explained. “But I am sorry to have missed meeting you, Mr. Chewie.” 

A snort came from her husband at that and the frontiersman sitting across from her blushed through the bushy beard that covered three quarters of his face. His broad-rimmed hat covered the rest, leaving only his eyes visible. 

“Please, ma’am, it’s just Chewie.”

Another kind of warm feeling caused Rey to smile; a kindredness she hadn’t expected with the burly mountaineer. “And I’m Rey.” 

Conversation between the three passengers stayed light until the train announced its departure with a loud whistle and a lurch. But it wasn’t until after Chewie had given a brief description of his activities in the wilds (which fascinated Rey and she made a note to hear more of his adventures) that Ben asked the question Rey knew had been at the forefront of his mind ever since the party. 

“I’m glad you’re coming with us, Chewie. But why are you?” 

The question was abrupt - even a little harsh - but Chewie didn’t seem to mind. In fact, to Rey’s surprise, he smiled. A fact made known because his beard shifted upward a bit.

“Straight to the point. Jus’ like him. I told yer there was somethin’ brewin’. And - I ain’t gonna lie - it’s not good. Maybe I’m overreactin’ but… it’s better to be cautious, ain’t it?”

“About what?”

Maybe she was imagining it, but Rey swore she heard her husband’s voice shake. Intuition told her that Ben had an inkling of what Chewie was going to say. But she had no idea what could cause such a strong reaction. Rey reached over and took Ben’s hand in hers, which he squeezed appreciatively, though he kept his attention on Chewie. She saw Chewie’s eyes flick in her direction before refocusing on Ben. 

“Snoke. He’s on the move again.”

Ben’s hand tightened around hers almost painfully and Rey watched his already pale face whiten so much she thought he was going to faint. His jaw clenched and his breathing quickened as if he’d run miles. Fighting through her own confusion and fear, Rey looked at Chewie and asked the question she knew must be eating at Ben’s mind. 

“What does that mean?”

“To be honest, I don’t ‘xactly know.” Chewie sounded apologetic. “What I do know is that he’s been contactin’ and gatherin’ his people for about half a year. I didn’t catch wind of it until a month ago and a lot of the information is stale now. But I figured you’d wanna know, Ben.”

Ben gave a stiff nod; his hold on Rey’s hand relaxed slightly but he didn’t let go. “Yeah. Thanks.” 

Silence fell over the small group for a few minutes. Rey didn’t take her eyes off of Ben. She wasn’t sure what to expect. The news didn’t really have any bearing on them, not immediately. Or did it?

“I understand why Ben would _want_ to know. But why does Ben _need_ to know?” Rey asked, the silence breaking like so much glass. “Is that why you’re joining us on the ranch? Do you think Snoke is coming after him?” Ben stiffened at that and his hand tightened around hers again. 

Chewie’s chin dipped down, his voice taking on a more serious countenance. “I ain’t discountin’ it. I haven’t heard anythin’ definite, but I figured better be safe than sorry. If you need me, I’m with you.”

Better safe than sorry. Or perhaps it was too late. 

“Ben,” Rey said, slowly turning her head toward him. “Do you think the occurrences at the ranch…”

“What kinda occurrences?” Chewie interjected. Rey gave a brief explanation before looking at Ben for his answer. 

Her husband worked his jaw. “Finn hasn’t reported anything new. But… Snoke has a long arm of influence.”

An uncomfortable air settled in the compartment. Rey was afraid. Not for herself, but for Ben. After finding out the extent of his past with Snoke, she knew that even the mere possibility of the gangster going after him could be debilitating. And if the events at the ranch were part of some twisted campaign to ruin Ben…

Rey wouldn’t hesitate to end him and free Ben of his influence once and for all. 

****

McQuarrie met them at the train station with the ranch’s wagon and Silencer. But Chewie’s unexpected presence caused a slight change of plans. McQuarrie and Chewie took the wagon with the luggage and chicken crate while Rey and Ben rode Silencer. Rey didn’t mind in the least. Not that conversation with McQuarrie wasn’t interesting; the old man had a thousand crazy stories about his life that made Rey laugh. She was sure most of them were fake, but no one bothered to ask.All the same, sitting astride Silencer and being pressed to Ben’s chest with his arms creating a shield around her was a much better way to travel than the wagon.

“We should do this more often,” Ben remarked, taking the opportunity to press a kiss to Rey’s cheek, his stetson blocking out the afternoon sun for a second. Silencer swayed beneath them at a gentle walk down the dirt road as they led the wagon toward the ranch. Ben didn’t really have to steer him; Rey swore the animal could find his way home in a dust storm. 

“I don’t think this would be a very practical way of working the herd.” Rey laughed. A dust devil sprouted up a few yards away and swirled across the road ahead of them. 

“Maybe not. But then I could have you with me all day,” he said. “Wouldn’t have to worry about what was happening at the house.”

Rey turned as best she could to give him a well-worn look. “The only thing happening at the house is bread baking and dusting. Although,” she hummed as she faced forward again. “That gives me an idea. Maybe we should trade places. You handle the house and I’ll lead the boys.”

She could do it. She’d gone out once or twice early on before taking fuller responsibilities at the house. Not because that’s where Ben - or any of the men - thought she belonged or any other such nonsense. No, McQuarrie’s unfortunate culinary experiments had forced their hand after he nearly burned down the bunkhouses. 

“Maybe. I think, since Chewie’s takin’ on the cooking for the boys, you could join us out there if you wanted.” 

The prospect excited Rey, she couldn’t lie. She liked being useful in whatever capacity needed, but a change of scene every now and then was nice. She wanted to learn more about how a ranch worked, both the business and practical side. 

“I’d like that.” Rey leaned back against Ben’s chest. “I would.”

****

The sight of the ranch house appearing on the horizon was, in Rey’s view, the best thing she’d seen in a long time. Not just because she was getting a little saddle sore - it had been a week, after all, since she’d ridden - but because they were finally _home_. 

Everything in the ranch yard looked the same. Except… Rey’s eyes narrowed on a certain patch of green she noticed in her garden and she made a mental note to ask Doph if he’d kept his promise to weed. 

McQuarrie pulled the wagon up next to the house at the same time Ben halted Silencer. After he dismounted, Ben turned and reached up to help Rey off. She raised a brow - he knew she was perfectly capable of getting down herself - but his only response was a wink as he gripped her waist. 

“Incorrigible,” Rey muttered even as her face betrayed her with a smile. She balanced her hands on his shoulders and Ben pulled her down with a smooth motion that reminded her of exactly how strong he was. Once on her feet, he immediately pulled her to him. 

“Unapologetically.” He replied before giving her a sound kiss. Rey hummed as she looped her arms around Ben’s neck, also unapologetic in her reciprocation. 

“I appreciate that you two love each other, but you’re making the horse sick.”

Rey glanced over her shoulder to see Finn striding toward them from the direction of the barn, a grin on his face. 

“Funny, I remember Silencer tellin’ me different.” Ben responded. 

Finn chuffed a laugh as he stopped in front of the couple. “I think you have a problem, Rey. He thinks the horse can talk.”

“Oh, I’m aware.” Rey grinned up at Ben and pat her palm against his cheek. Ben narrowed his eyes. 

“Cheeky.”

Finn raised his hands. “Alright, alright. Welcome home you two. Have a nice trip?”

“About as nice as a two-day train ride can get,” Ben muttered. Keeping one arm around Rey’s waist, he turned and gestured for Chewie - who had been helping McQuarrie with the luggage and was currently assisting him with the chicken crate - to join them. Once the crate was safely on the ground, Chewie came lumbering over to join the group.

“Do ya have a coop for those?” Chewie asked.

“We can build one quick. Finn, meet Chewie, our newest crew member.” Ben said. “Chewie’s an old…” he paused and Rey saw a hint of a smile at the corner of his mouth. “An old friend. Chewie, this is Finn, my foreman.”

After the two men shook hands Ben explained that Chewie was there to take over cooking for the ranch hands, which Finn seemed dubious about. 

“Do you know how to make sure a fire doesn’t jump out of the stove?” Finn asked, casting a pointed look at McQuarrie, who muttered a choice response under his breath as he drove the wagon toward the barn. Ben urged Silencer to follow and the horse trotted off after the wagon without resistance.

Chewie’s laugh was so deep Rey almost thought it was thunder. “I think I can manage to avoid doin’ that.”

“You’re perfect then. I’ll take you over to the bunks in a minute and introduce you to the rest of the crew - the ones who aren’t in the fields, anyway - but first there’s something I need to tell the boss.”

The way Finn said it - reluctant and with a grim expression - put a stone in Rey’s stomach. Something had happened while they were gone. Rey chanced a look at Ben and saw that he was thinking the same thing.

“What’s happened?” he asked, his chest rising and falling a bit quicker beneath his black shirt. Rey edged further into his side and placed her hand in the middle of his back with the hope she might help steady him. 

Finn had the awareness to look sorry. “We lost some more cattle. They were… it wasn’t pretty. Something attacked them. But didn’t eat them. It was just… a massacre.” 

Rey placed her free hand against her stomach, ill even at Finn’s simple description. 

“Was the creature rabid?” Chewie spoke up. “That’s usually the reason why livestock ain’t eaten after being mauled.”

“That’s the thing,” Finn somehow looked more uncomfortable. “I don’t think it was an animal. The wounds are too uniform. Targeted.”

The implication was not lost. Rey couldn’t help looking at Chewie and Ben turned as well. Though she couldn’t see much under the giant’s bushy beard, the tension in his shoulders and lines around his eyes were unmistakable. 

“I told you to contact me if something happened.” Rey could see Ben was angry as he turned back to Finn. Furious. His foreman clenched his jaw. 

“By the time the news reached Chandrila,” Finn explained. “You would have been on your way home. It wouldn’t have done any good.”

Ben couldn’t argue that and Rey hoped he wouldn’t. Instead he asked through gritted teeth: “Is there anything else I need to know?”

Again, the discomfort on Finn’s face increased. “We know what happened to the stillborn calves. Clyde was digging into it and discovered a growth of nightshade where the pregnant cows were grazing.”

“Nightshade.” Ben’s tone was flat but Rey felt his grip tighten around her waist, his fingers digging into her side. “Finn, take Chewie to the bunkhouse and get him familiar with the boys.” 

The abrupt switch to business wasn’t exactly a surprise, but Rey knew as well as the two other men that it didn’t mean anything good. 

“Yes sir.” Finn nodded at Chewie and they departed, both looking back at Rey with worried expressions. Not for her. Everyone knew the stakes with which the ranch was at odds and they had just been raised. There were only two outcomes of the conversation: Ben would lose his temper, and Rey would lose a chair, or he would completely shut down.

Neither one was acceptable. 

“Ben.” Rey looped her arm through his and gave a gentle tug. “Let’s go inside.” He didn’t budge. She closed her eyes, took a breath, and shifted to face him. “Ben. Darling, let’s go inside.”

His eyes were unfocused, unseeing, and when Rey put a palm to his cheek he jolted, as if he only just realized she was there. Now she could see, his guard down, how much worry hid behind his anger. She took his hand and stepped tentatively toward the house. Ben gave a jerky nod and followed Rey into the house. She led him to their sitting room and pulled him onto a cushioned bench near the fireplace. He leaned forward, bracing his elbows on his knees. Rey reached forward and pulled his stetson from his head, laying it down on the table beside the bench before she slid her fingers through his hair, stroking through his dark waves slowly. 

For a few minutes neither one spoke. Rey didn’t know what to say and she sensed Ben was still processing. 

“We shouldn’t have left.” His voice was cracked and dry. “We shouldn’t have gone to Chandrila.”

Rey pressed her lips together. Of course she understood why he thought that, but she couldn’t agree. 

“What happened would have happened had we been here or not,” she said; she continued to sift through his hair as she spoke. “You wouldn’t have been able to stop it. Now we’re home. Now we have information we didn’t have before.” She didn’t have to say what. She knew they were both thinking it. 

Ben lifted his head and Rey let her hand fall cup the back of his neck.

“If it’s him…” He paused and passed a hand across his face. When he refocused his eyes were blazing in a way that sent shivers down Rey’s spine. “If it’s him, there’s nothing I won’t do to keep you safe.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Whew! The drama is ramping up in the next chapter, so hang on! Coming soon!


	7. Chapter 7

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Another terrifying accident happens at the ranch.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> LE GASP
> 
> I got a new chapter up whaaaaaaaat
> 
> Okay, no guarantees I'll have the next one up this quick, but the creative juices are definitely flowing y'all. 
> 
> I hope you enjoy!

For the three mornings in a row Rey woke with an uncontrollable urge to empty her stomach. Three mornings in a row she jumped out of bed and rushed to the porcelain bowl on their vanity to retch. And for the third morning in a row Ben was insufferable about it. 

“That’s it. I’m going for the doctor.” He growled from beside her, holding her hair back as she leaned over the bowl.

Swallowing back another gag, Rey shook her head. “No, no. Don’t.”

“Rey…”

“I mean, I’ll go see him today.” She straightened up, bracing herself on the vanity. “I was planning to call on Rose. I can stop by his office before.” To her consternation, that did not seem to placate him.

“You’re not goin’ anywhere.” He said, guiding her back toward the bed and sitting her down. “You’re gettin’ back in bed and I’m sending Doph for the doctor.”

Biting back an annoyed response, Rey took a deep breath. “Ben, I’m fine. Honestly. Maybe a little more tired than usual but-”

“More than usual?” His eyes narrowed. Rey pursed her lips. He was already worried so much over the ranch. She couldn’t let him worry over her, too. 

“We’ve just returned from a long trip and it’s taking me some time to readjust.” She took his hands in hers. “I’ll go see the doctor, I promise, but I want to see my friend, as well. And I already told Finn to let her know I was coming over today. I’m sure whatever this is, it’s just because I’m not used to traveling." 

There was another possibility but she was keeping it to herself. For now. 

Ben didn’t seem fully convinced but he relented. “As long as you go see the doctor.”

“Yes.” Rey tugged on his hands and he knelt to be at her eye level. “And I’ll tell you everything when I get back. Now, stop worrying about me.”

“That’s next to impossible.” He muttered and pressed a kiss to her forehead. 

“Try,” she urged. She glanced at the small clock on their bedroom’s mantlepiece. “It’s time to start the day, darling.” 

Ben sighed and stood. “Let’s hope it’s better than the last.”

****

Rey was in a daze as she made her way to Rose and Finn’s house. Millie followed behind her dutifully despite Rey forgetting to grab her reins. And that the horse was there at all. After finishing her chores at the house she had set off into town, dressed in a simple white shirt, a pair of tanned culottes, and a wide-brimmed hat that now hung on her back, the leather string keeping it attached to its absentminded owner. As she’d promised, Rey visited Doctor Darklighter first thing, the result of that visit being the reason for her stunned behavior now. The good doctor had not only confirmed her morning illnesses were nothing to be concerned about, but verified her own suspicions about their origin. Despite having an inkling, Rey was so happy to have it confirmed the doctor might as well have surprised her completely. 

“Rey!” Rose greeted her with a grin at the door of her and Finn’s cozy home. “Finally! You must tell me- what’s going on?” Rose’s smile fell into a frown. 

“Nothing. I mean… everything.” Rey laughed, sure she sounded insane. “I… I’ve just been to the doctor, Rose.”

Her friend’s frown deepened to a scowl but as soon as Rey grinned, Rose gasped and pulled her into a hug, somehow knowing exactly what Rey meant. 

“I’m so happy for you.” Rose whispered tearfully. “Come in, come in! Oh, goodness! We have a lot to talk about!”

They settled in the sitting room, where Rose already had refreshments ready. 

“How do you feel?” she asked, once she’d served Rey the lemonade and a piece of the teacake she’d prepared. “Good?”

“I’ve been sick every morning for the last three days but otherwise I’m feeling fine.” Rey laughed. “Better now that I’m sure what the cause is.”

“A much better outcome than you were expecting, hm?” Rose grinned. 

“It’s certainly better news than what we’ve had for awhile.” Rey sipped at her lemonade. It was a bit too sugary for her liking but Rose had a sweeter tooth than Rey and had obviously tried to temper it for her guest. 

Rose hummed and a scowl fell over her usually cheerful face. “Yes. And it’s beginning to get annoying.”

“Beginning to?” Rey cocked an eyebrow. 

“Maybe not the actual trouble. But people around here are talking about it and it’s become a nuisance.”

Rey’s amused smile faltered. “What do you mean?”

“Oh,” Rose waved a hand. “It’s nothing. Just that _some_ people are saying the ranch is cursed. Honestly, it’s nonsense and I’ve had to do my fair share of telling off. They’re just bored. It’ll all go away soon.”

“I hope so.” Rey bit into her bottom lip. “Ben’s worried. I don’t need him knowing that now everyone in Niima is gossiping about it, too. We’ve already lost a few customers back east.” 

They might really have to consider cutting their losses if their local customers abandoned them, too. 

“Ben won’t hear of it from me,” Rose promised. “And I’m sorry I brought it up. I didn’t mean to upset you.”

Rey shook her head and gazed down at her lemonade. “Of course not. I’m glad you told me. But let’s talk about something else.” She managed to put on a half smile. “I’ve a lot to tell you about Chandrila.”

“And I’m ready to listen! But first let me get Paige,” Rose stood. “She’s missed her auntie Rey like a fiend. And,” Rose put a hand on Rey’s shoulder and grinned. “You can have some practice.”

A real smile grew on Rey’s face, her worries disappearing as her excitement returned. 

The two women spoke for hours on Rey and Ben’s stay in Chandrila as Rey cared for Paige. Of course Rose was vehemently supportive of Rey against the mindset of the big-city ladies but also couldn’t help sympathizing at Rey’s lost gown. They had a good laugh over the corset incident, which Rey surmised could have been a first sign of her condition. She was glad to hear things with Ben’s family were slightly improved. 

“There was a time I’d thought it impossible.” She sighed and leaned back in her chair. Little Paige was back in her arms, sleeping soundly after an afternoon of Rey fawning over her. 

Rey hummed. “They have a long way to go, but I think, especially now,” she smiled, “things can only get better.” She glanced out the window and saw that the sun was edging toward the horizon. “I should be going. Ben will be back from the fields soon.”

“Yes,” Rose grinned and wiggled her eyebrows. “You two have a lot to discuss.” 

The friends embraced and Rey set off at a quick trot for the ranch, eager to see her husband. 

********

Halfway back Rey saw black smoke rising, creeping its way into the twilight sky like a line of ants. There was only one place it could come from this far from town. Heart pounding, Rey urged Millie into a gallop, racing toward the ranch. 

She arrived to a nightmare. The barn, which held their working livestock and equipment, was enveloped in flames.The smoke which Rey had seen on the road had double in thickness and surrounded the vale of their ranch yard in a haze which made Rey choke. She jumped from Millie, leaving her ground tied at the entrance to the yard and raced toward the inferno. All the hands were running about, some with buckets of sand, others with water, attempting to stave off what Rey feared was an inevitable catastrophe. Thankfully the house wasn’t so close to the barn that the fire jumping to it was a high risk, but one good gust of wind and all bets were off. Which was why half the men she saw were wetting down the sides of the ranch house and the rest were rushing to stop the blaze from growing. 

There was only one man she cared to find, though, and he was the only one she couldn’t. Scanning the yard, she spotted Finn lugging a pail of sand and hurried to catch him. 

She tugged at his shoulder, forcing him to stop. “Where’s Ben?” She gasped, heart hammering away in her chest. “Where? I can’t… I can’t find him.” 

The foreman’s wide eyes flicked to the barn and she followed his gaze. Ben was leading a couple of horses out of the barn, pushing them into the waiting hands of his men. Smoke billowed out of the open doors. The smell of the dry hay stored inside - the perfect fodder for a fire - wafted to her through the air along with the screams of the terrified horses which remained the barn. 

Ben was pointing at his men, directing them. Rey didn’t need much to surmise that the fire was getting to the point of being unmanageable, flames licking along the seams of the wooden building. 

She put a hand to her stomach as a wave of nausea roiled through her, thinking of the poor creatures still inside. But that nausea turned into an ice-cold lump of terror when she saw Ben dart inside the barn. 

“_No_.” 

A few seconds later two more horses galloped out of the burning building, but there was no sign of Ben. 

As she stared, frozen with horror, the barn gave a great shudder and the flames flickering through the slats exploded out the entrance. 

Rey screamed for Ben and sprinted toward the barn but behind her Finn gave chase and caught up, wrapping his arms around her waist and pulling her back against his chest.

“Rey, no!”

Rey barely heard him. She fought against his hold but was lifted off the ground as Finn tried to contain her. Despite that she continued to struggle, desperate to reach Ben whatever the cost to herself.

The other men shouted and darted around, some trying to catch the panicked animals, others continuing to make vain attempts to stem the flames with buckets of water. But they might as well have been fighting one of the red mountains in the desert. Cracks rent the air, like a volley of gunfire, and the ranch hands scurried away from the barn as if it were a line of cannons on the battlefield. 

“The roof’s gonna collapse!” Cass yelled, waving his arms at the men who were still near the building. “Get away!” 

Rey saw the structure buckle - groaning as it strained to the very last against the hell that consumed it - her husband still inside. The realization dropped on her that he was going to die, that he might already be dead; and in that same moment Rey was sure her own life was about to end.

Her legs gave beneath her and she sank to the ground with a strangled cry. Finn’s arms were still around her and she was vaguely aware that he fell with her as he tried to support her; he was the only thing that was because she was utterly and completely numb. Her legs. Her body. Her soul. 

She’d only arrived a few minutes ago. It had only been a few minutes. 

And now all she could do was watch as her husband perished in a well of fire. 

Smoke wafted around her, filling her lungs, coating her cheeks with soot that stuck like mud due to the tears that trickled down her face. She didn’t feel those either. The only thing she was aware of was the ache in her chest as her world crashed around her. 

“Boss!” Rey heard Flip’s shout and the next instant Finn’s arms were gone. Rey watched him sprint toward the barn, the dirt kicked up in his wake mixing with the smoke. The other men were running back toward it too, Chewie leading the way. When she focused her eyes, squinting through the haze, she saw a rearing horse and the tall figure of her husband bent over next to the animal, coughing and wheezing. Finn and Chewie were helping him away from the barn as the others wrangled Silencer, who was blinded by what looked like a bandana tied over his face. 

Once a safe distance from the burning barn, Ben straightened. Finn said something to him and her husband turned his head in her direction; they locked eyes and Rey released a sob. 

She didn’t think, she only moved, faster than she’d ever moved in her life. One second she was a heap on the ground and the next she’d hurtled herself into the arms of her husband, grasping his shirt and pulling him into her embrace. He reeked of smoke and it burned her eyes and throat but she wasn’t about to let go. 

Ben was coughing but his arms were around her and holding her tight; it was the best feeling in the world. 

“There it goes.” Chewie whistled and Rey turned her head to watch the barn give a final, agonizing groan before it collapsed in on itself with a mighty roar and the flames spiraled skyward. The awareness that Ben could have been in there - that he _had_ been - left her sick again and she looked away from the still-burning ruins of their barn and hid her face against Ben’s shoulder. His head was still turned toward the wreck but his arms maintained their hold; Rey wondered if he understood somehow that if he did release her, she might fall. Or maybe he needed to hold her as much as she needed to hold him. 

“It’s alright, sweetheart.” Rey heard him murmur against her ear and she realized she was shaking. “I’m alright.”

But instead of comfort Rey was overcome with an instant, visceral fury. 

“Why?” She pushed away from him. “You idiot! Why’d you go in there? You almost left me alone! Why?” Her voice broke and she fought his hands as he tried to pull her back to him. “You asshole! You-”

Her efforts to stave him off diminished with each word and in two seconds she was back in his embrace and his lips were against hers in a kiss that left Rey breathless. It was hungry and possessive and it dawned on her that as much as he was reminding her that he was alive, he was reminding himself. She whimpered and returned the feverish kiss until a sob forced her to stop. Rey hid her face against Ben’s neck, her chest heaving as she tried to catch her breath against her tears. Behind them, the remnants of the barn continued to burn, cracking and spitting up flames. 

“Make sure it doesn’t spread.” Ben called out. “Check the bunkhouses!” Rey knew she should let him go. Let him be the leader the ranch needed; but she needed him, too. And he didn’t seem very inclined to release her, either. 

The sun had disappeared behind the red hills by this time and evening had fallen over the valley. A deeper darkness surrounded them than usual as the smoke from the fire billowed throughout the yard, blocking the stars and dimming the moon. 

Rey peeked at the frantic scene of Ben’s team swirling around the barn, throwing on bucket after bucket of sand and water. Ben didn’t lessen his hold around her, not for a second. He continued to give out commands but Rey knew he wanted to help.

“Go.” Rey pulled away, wiping ash and tears from her face. Ben hesitated; his eyes flicked over her in obvious concern. “Go,” she insisted. “I’ll get some coffee ready. You’ll all need it.”

He still didn’t budge. “Are you going to be okay?” he asked, cupping her cheeks in his hands. Rey nodded insistently.

“I’m fine.” She was still angry but that could wait. There were more important things to deal with. “Go.” 

Ben worked his jaw but this time he obeyed, pressing a swift kiss to her forehead before joining his crew to stop the fire from spreading. Rey watched for a minute before she headed into the house. 

She and Ben had someone new to protect. Someone precious. She’d make damn sure they did. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yikes. Things have escalated, y'all. 😨
> 
> What will Ben and Rey do now?


	8. Chapter 8

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Rey tells Ben the most important news of their lives but the trouble at the ranch breaks the moment and causes more pain.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> T/W for blood and a very brief allusion to miscarriage (adding this only out of an abundance of caution)

No one got sleep that night. By the time the fire was completely out, the night was well on its way toward dawn and the barn was nothing but ash and broken bits of smoking lumber. Ben ordered everyone to bed; they’d figure out what to do once everyone had gotten a couple of hours of sleep. 

Rey, though by no means had she forgotten her anger at Ben for his reckless actions, was glad to have the ordeal over and him safe. She could berate him when they’d rested. 

It wasn’t long after the pair had woken and Rey had prepared a quick breakfast of hot cereal that she was ready to address the issue but as soon as she opened her mouth, Finn burst into the kitchen from the outside. 

“We found kerosene,” he blurted. Ben slowly rose from his chair and planted his hands on the table. “An empty can over behind the barn.”

There was a pause before Ben responded. “We don’t store the kerosene in the barn.”

Rey sucked in a breath and stood as well, moving to the sink with her half-finished meal; her appetite had disappeared. Finn shook his head. 

“I checked. We’re missing one.”

Even though she wasn’t looking at Ben, she could feel his eyes on her. She heard him give Finn some orders and a minute later the door closed. A heavy silence reigned in a space that had already been terse. 

So that was it. All the trouble, all the loss; it was all a targeted campaign against the ranch. Against Ben. And he’d nearly let it win. Let Snoke win. Because Rey knew it could be no one else and so did Ben.

“You shouldn’t have gone in there,” Rey said quietly, not looking at him but at the floor. “You shouldn’t have gone in after that damn horse.”

“You know Silencer is more than that.” Rey could hear the plead for her to understand in his voice. “I couldn’t let him die.”

She raised her head and looked at him dead on. “Do you know what it would have done to me if you’d died? Do you-” she stopped and bit into her bottom lip. This was not the way she’d wanted to tell him. Her news was supposed to be delivered in a joyous way. But he had to know.

“I know,” he said, and while she heard he meant it, he couldn’t possibly. He didn’t know. “And I’m sorry, Rey.” 

Rey lifted her chin and gave one nod, her mind settled. “Listen to me: you won’t _ever_ risk your life unnecessarily again. Because it’s more than you and me now.” 

The confused look he shot her caused Rey’s breath to stutter. He really didn’t have a clue. 

“Ben,” she whispered, emotion causing her throat to close up and making it difficult to speak. “You’re going to be a father.” 

For a few seconds silence reigned as he stood dumbly, blinking at her as if he hadn’t understood a word, but his chest was rising and falling like he’d run to town and back. The quiet lasted long enough Rey began to worry, then, like lightning, he crossed the short distance between them in one stride. But instead of holding her tightly and kissing her as she had expected, he gathered her into his arms like she was a newborn lamb, gentle as could be, and hid his face in the crook of her neck, bowing himself to hold her close. 

Rey’s heart nearly burst as she slid her arms around his shoulders. A wetness on her neck and a shudder that ran through his body told her that Ben was crying and at that she let her own tears fall.

“I need you,” she whispered. “Please.”

He nodded against her shoulder and Rey breathed a sigh of relief. She thought everything was finished. They could work toward stopping what was going on at the ranch together, safely, but when he raised his head - brown eyes bright and wet with tears - he said something that rekindled her fury as lightning lit the brush. 

“You’re going back to Chandrila,” he stated. “You’re not staying here. Not now. You’ll stay with my mother until I get this sorted out.”

Rey’s mouth dropped open. When she recovered from her initial shock, she was livid. “I’m not going anywhere.” 

“Rey.” There was a plea in his voice and his expression. “You have to. Last night proves it. Somebody set that fire and you know what that means. If you get hurt…” He shook his head, jaw tightening. “I won’t allow it.”

“I’m staying, Ben.” Rey insisted. “I’m not leaving you to deal with this on your own. Odds are it’s one of the hands - maybe more - helping Snoke and if you think for one second,” she pointed a finger at him, “that I’m going to leave you in a wolf’s den alone, you’re sadly mistaken.”

Not in a million years. Not if he was on one side of the universe and she was on the other. She would fight her way to him. 

“You’re going,” he said, a finality to his tone that left Rey rigid. He softened when he noticed. “It’s for the best.”

She barked out a laugh in disbelief. “And I don’t get a say?”

His jaw locked. “No.”

“I do get a say and it’s this: I’m staying.”

“If I have to carry you to the train station and lock you into a compartment, I will do it,” he snapped. “You’re going to stay with my mother. End of story.” With that he strode out of the kitchen. Rey was so shocked she was frozen in place for a second. But only for a second. 

She charged after him and pulled on his arm just as he was opening the front door to leave, his Stetson and long black coat already shoved on.

“You don’t get to tell me what to do!” She exclaimed, furious. 

“I’m your husband!” Came his retort. “I have that right if it’s to protect you.”

“Does that mean I have no right to protect you? We’re a family! I’m not leaving you!”

Ben took hold of her arms - not roughly but more like he needed an anchor. “You’re…” he swallowed; Rey could see he was struggling to compose himself and it nearly broke her resolve. “We’re having a baby, Rey. If anything happened to you… both of you…”

“Me being on the other side of the country worrying myself to death is better?” Rey searched his eyes. He was frightened, scared out of his wits - hell, so was she - but she wasn’t going to back down. She knew deep inside herself that leaving him would cause more harm to her than anything that happened on the ranch. 

“You’ll be fine. It’ll be better. Do this for me, please?” he begged, desperate. Rey almost gave in again. But she couldn’t. She wouldn’t.

“No. I’m staying.” Maybe she was being stubborn and foolish but there was no way in hell she was leaving him. 

“You’re being unreasonable.” He snapped, straightening up and dropping his hands to his sides in tight fists. “You’re being downright stupid!”

“Then I’m stupid!” Rey raised her voice. “But I don’t understand why you want to separate us!”

“I don’t _want_ to! What I want is for you to be _safe_! What kind of a husband and father would I be if I let you stay here?”

“I guess that makes me a bad wife and mother?” Rey retorted. The way his jaw clenched said as much as any words would have. She stepped away from him and pointed at the door, finger trembling in her rage. “Get out.”

Ben moved as if to take a step toward her but Rey gave him a warning look and he stopped. His face hardened. 

“This isn’t over.” He warned before he turned on his heel and strode out, slamming the door behind him. 

Rey stared at the door, the grains of the wood blurring together as angry tears filled her vision. There was a buzzing in her head and a strange numbness settled over her. She wanted to scream. She wanted to break something. In desperate need of a distraction, Rey took a few deep breaths and made for the kitchen door. 

Her hands needed to be occupied or she feared she’d end up breaking something in the house. The weeds in her little garden seemed like the perfect victim. 

When she stomped into the garden - only half-seeing what was around her - she dropped to her hands and knees and proceeded to rip viciously at the weeds that would choke her tomatoes; she pulled her skirts up to cushion her knees, baring her pale calves to the sun. For a few minutes Rey was lost in her work, focusing her rage on the evil plants in lieu of Ben. The only thing she was semi-cognizant of were the clouds passing overhead, casting shadows across her vision. She didn’t notice anything until they stopped.

A different motion caught her eye and she glanced to her right. 

The moment between hearing the rattle, seeing the snake, and feeling the impact of its fangs on her calf seemed more like an eternity than the split second it actually was. 

Rey shouted and scrambled away from the animal, falling on her ass amidst her cabbages. The rattlesnake hissed and lashed out again but this time missed its mark and Rey crawled backwards as she watched it coil up again, its head weaving back and forth as soulless eyes monitored her escape. 

Slowly she edged toward the gate to the garden, mind racing. Ben was gone, Chewie was in town getting meal supplies and the rest of the hands were sleeping off the hard night or out with the cattle. Except two. 

“Moden! Doph!” She hoped he was still in earshot. The last she’d seen, the men had been putting up a temporary corral near the wreckage of the barn at Ben’s orders. “Doph!”

No answer. No time to panic. Rey needed to take care of this herself. She needed to save herself. She needed to save her child. 

“Stop the poison, stop the poison,” she repeated aloud, trying to keep herself calm even though her heart was beating a mile a minute. She bent down and tore a long strip from her skirt to wrap around her leg above the bite, creating a makeshift tourniquet.

Next she forced herself to stand and hobble to the house. She needed to leach the venom out somehow.

Rey stumbled into the kitchen and grabbed the first knife she saw then shoved it into the fire in the stove to sterilize it. She picked up a wooden spoon and stuck it in her mouth before she sank to the floor, gripping it tightly between her teeth as she lifted her skirts and lowered the hot knife to the two, tiny bleeding holes in her calf. If she’d had the time she might have marveled at how inconsequential the marks were, how if they weren’t the entry of a deadly venom she might not notice them at all. 

But she didn’t have the time nor the mindset. Taking a deep breath to steady her shaking hands, Rey pressed the knife into her leg and cut an X-shape between the two punctures, a trick an old-timer had taught her one time which supposedly allowed the snake venom to flow out. She screamed against the wooden spoon but didn’t stop cutting until she’d finished making the mark. 

In a different situation another person would suck at the cut and hopefully get the poison out but Rey was alone. She’d have to do it herself and more painfully. With a gulped breath she dropped the knife and squeezed at the wound, forcing blood to dribble out, hopefully along with the venom. It wasn’t long before her fingers were saturated and there were rivulets of crimson running down her leg but she didn’t stop squeezing. She couldn’t. She needed to get all the venom out. How would she know if all the venom was out?

As a pool of blood formed underneath her leg, black rimmed her vision and Rey swayed. The spoon dropped from her mouth and clattered to the floor. 

So tired. She was so tired. 

Maybe she could close her eyes for a moment, just a moment. Within a second of the thought her head met the floor and she found herself staring at the kitchen ceiling, her brain fighting her exhausted body to stay awake. Somewhere she heard heavy footsteps and thought her name was called. 

A tall figure in a faded black Stetson appeared in the kitchen doorway but Rey was sure she was hallucinating. Ben couldn’t be back. He’d been angry and galloped for the herd. 

But she heard Ben’s voice shout her name and then he was there, kneeling beside her, hands on her leg, his jeans soaking up the red puddle on the floor. He grabbed a kitchen towel and wrapped it around the wound to staunch the bleeding. Rey whimpered at the touch and her head lolled to the side. A second later she was pulled into his arms, cradled in his lap, and a hand cupped her cheek. Ben’s hand seemed to be covered in something wet and warm and Rey distantly realized it was her blood. 

“Rey, sweetheart, stay with me. What happened?” He sounded hoarse and panicked. “Stay awake for me, please.”

“Snake.” It was the only thing she could manage to say, her mouth thick as cotton, tongue unable to form any other word. Her fingers found purchase in his shirt and she gripped it tightly, pulling herself into him as best she could. Her weary mind was convinced that if she only got closer to him everything would be better. He’d fix it somehow just by holding her. 

Another pair of footsteps and what she thought was Finn’s voice floated through the air. But she didn’t hear what he said, only that it was laced with concern. Exhaustion was winning. Rey didn’t think she could resist any longer.

“Go get the doctor!” Ben ordered. He sounded so far away. “Now! Snakebite!” Pounding footsteps answered the order. Finn retreating to obey, Rey guessed through the gloom slowly seeping in on her. 

The doctor was coming. Maybe she could sleep now. Her fingers relaxed their hold on Ben’s shirt and he must have noticed because his attention snapped back to her. She saw his eyes, those beautiful eyes that possessed an ancientness she couldn’t fathom. Now they were surrounded by worried lines, terror in their depths. Guilt filled her that she was the cause of his worry, but even more because they had argued - she hadn’t had a chance to make up with him, to say she loved him. All she wanted was to say she loved him - he needed to know that. Her mouth opened but nothing came out. She didn’t have the strength to say the words. 

She saw his mouth move, saying something, her name she thought. But she couldn’t hear it and he was blurring. Her eyes drifted closed and she knew nothing more.

****

When Rey woke she was in their bed, enveloped in the covers, in her cotton nightgown instead of the blue dress she’d been wearing that day. The room was dark, lit only by a single oil lamp on the nightstand - the curtains weren’t drawn; night had fallen, dark as an abyss as there was no moon. Something taut was wrapped around her calf and she stirred, but pain lanced up her leg and she sucked in a breath. With the pain came clarity and the events of that afternoon came flooding back. Every terrifying moment flashed in front of her and a sob escaped Rey’s lips. 

“Rey?” She turned her head to see Ben kneeling by the bed, circles under his worried eyes. He was holding her hand. At her movement he jolted up and sat on the edge of the bed. His hands cupped her cheeks as his eyes searched her face, amazed, it seemed, that she’d woken at all. He released a shaky breath. “My God, sweetheart. You scared the living hell out of me.”

Tears rolled down her face and she didn’t bother stemming the flow. “I’m sorry,” she blurted in a sob. “I’m sorry we argued. I love you.” That was the only thing she could focus on: that the last words she’d said to him were in anger. She gulped, finding it difficult to breathe past the lump in her throat and he pulled her into his arms, crushing her to him. Her leg protested but she didn’t care; she buried her face against his neck, curled her fingers into his shirt, and cried. 

He held her as she shook under the force of her sobs. Only when Rey had managed to take control of herself a minute later, cried out probably for the next year, did he loosen his embrace and draw back. Ben smoothed the hair plastered to her face away and when he was done she could see his red-rimmed eyes and the tear tracks that stained his own cheeks. 

“You don’t have a damn thing to be sorry about. I’m the one who’s sorry.” He whispered thickly. “I shouldn’t have left the way I did. It’s why I came back. I couldn’t leave you - leave us - like that. And then,” he swallowed, paling. “And then I saw you on the floor… in a pool of blood…”

Rey hid her face again and shuddered. “I had to get the poison out, but I was alone,” she whispered. “I… I called for help… but… I’ve never felt so alone.”

His arms tightened around her and when he spoke it was in a tone that could have been harsh if she didn’t know that he was trying very hard to control his emotions. 

“You’re not alone.”

For a few moments Rey continued to hide against his chest, not prepared to face the question that was at the forefront of her mind. She just wanted to feel safe for a few moments longer before reality crashed back down on them. When she did finally lift her head Ben kissed her gently. 

“Ben.” She whispered, fighting back a fresh wave of tears. “What about…”

“You’re fine.” He said firmly. “Both of you. The doctor couldn’t find any signs somethin’ was wrong.” Rey dropped her head to his shoulder in relief and he pressed another kiss to the top. “But he wants you on bedrest for a couple days. Just to be sure.”

Rey nodded. Of course. She’d do anything. But she had another question and she could not rest until it was answered. 

“Do you think it’s connected?”

Her husband stiffened. He knew what she meant without her having to say it. The snake in the garden. Rey being conveniently alone. The incident coming so quick after the fire seemed too calculated to be coincidence. He didn’t reply but his silence was all the confirmation she needed. 

Rey heaved a sigh and closed her eyes; she was suddenly very, very tired. “Ben… will you lay with me, please? Just… hold me.”

The shift was so swift Rey barely had a chance to miss him before she was back in his arms, held tightly against his chest. His heart beat a steady tattoo against her ear, a constant in an erratic world. She fell asleep to it; and to the hope that her family would survive.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I promise it gets better. Eventually.😬


	9. Chapter 9

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Unwelcome visitors appear at the ranch, leaving Rey and Ben with no doubt who's responsible for their troubles.

A couple of days of bedrest may have been the doctor’s orders but only hours into the first day Rey was already indescribably bored. Ben tried to console her. 

“You can catch up on the lessons we were workin’ on before visiting Chandrila,” he said. “Or read a couple books.”

Rey huffed. “I’m used to moving around, doing something with my hands.” 

“Sewing?” he suggested. “Knitting?”

“Or maybe I can wring the neck of whoever’s trying to ruin us?” Rey countered. “_That _would make me very happy.”

“You being hanged for murder is the last thing we need,” Ben shot her a disapproving, but amused, look as he stood beside the bed, arms crossed. He hadn’t left her side at all since she’d woken except to get food and drink. Finn came upstairs whenever he needed to give directions to the hands. 

Ben had just delivered her lunch and was about to take his seat again when there was a knock on the bedroom door. 

“That must be Chewie and Finn,” he muttered as he went to answer it. Sure enough, the foreman and the new cook were standing there. “Come in.” Ben stood out of the way. Rey watched, bemused, as Chewie bent to enter. 

“How’re you doing, Rey?” Finn asked. “You were in a bad way…”

“I’m fine, Finn.” Rey assured him with a smile. “I’m lucky you and Ben came back.”

“Damn lucky. And that’s why I asked you and Chewie in here.” Ben came around and stood at Rey’s side again. “You’re the only two we can trust.”

Chewie nodded but Finn seemed confused. “What do you mean?” he asked. “Why?”

“The incidents around here aren’t accidents. I think we’ve all been dancing around that fact for too long. It’s a targeted campaign and it needs to stop.” Ben was grim. “The fire was bad enough, but what happened yesterday…” he worked his jaw and Rey slipped her hand into his. He squeezed it and let out a breath. “That snake was put there and Rey was left alone on purpose. The escalation calls for a response.” 

“Do you have an idea who might be targeting us?” Finn crossed his arms over his chest. “Something tells me you do.”

“An old enemy,” Ben replied quietly. “Snoke.”

Chewie made a disapproving noise in the back of his throat.

Finn clicked his tongue. “Thought as much. And you think some of the boys are with him? Ben, that’s not possible. They love you. And Rey. They wouldn’t do anything to hurt either of you.”

Ben shook his head. “I’d like to think that but the only way some of what’s happened could happen is if one of the hands did it. We have to find out who. Look into it. Discretely. Starting with Doph and Moden.”

“Why them?” 

“Because they were supposed to be working near the house when Rey got bit.” A dangerous note entered Ben’s voice, sending a shiver down Rey’s spine. “They should have heard her call for help.”

“Alright. So what happens if it is one - or both - of them?” Finn lifted his chin and straightened his leather vest. “What are you gonna do?”

“What I have to do.” Ben said quietly. “There’s one more thing.” He glanced at Rey and she nodded, squeezing his hand. They’d discussed it. Finn and Chewie should know everything if they were to help. Rose already knew anyway. “Rey’s expecting. So the stakes are high.” 

Rey blushed at the sudden grins on the other two men, who seemed to breeze right past what Ben had said and focus entirely on her.

“Congratulations!” Finn exclaimed. “I’ll be damned. _That’s _what Rose was on about. She was nearly inconsolable when I told her about the snake.”

“A little Solo.” Chewie and Ben exchanged a look that Rey knew had a deeper meaning. “Good.”

“We want to keep the news quiet for now.” Rey said. “Just the people in this room. And Rose.” She added, feeling a little guilty Ben hadn’t been the first to know. 

Finn and Chewie swore to keep the secret. 

“One more thing before the both of you go.” Ben said and Rey frowned, not sure what else there was. She didn’t like how he avoided looking at her. “While Rey’s here, I don’t want her at the house alone. I need one of you to be here if I have to be gone.”

“Ben.” Rey wasn’t happy. Far from it. 

“You don’t have to ask twice. But what do you mean while she’s here?” Finn’s eyes shot between his boss and Rey. 

“I think it’s time we get busy, Finn.” Chewie put a hand on Finn’s shoulder and nodded toward the door. Mercifully, Finn was able to sense the tension between Rey and Ben as well and nodded.

“Glad you’re feeling better, Rey. Congratulations again. Don’t worry.” Finn sobered. “We’ll find out if there’s a traitor.”

With that the two men departed, leaving Rey stewing in a mix of irritation and resignation. 

“I guess this means you’ve decided on where I should go?” Rey said. Ben sighed and settled himself on the edge of the bed, facing her. 

“Sweetheart, please.” He didn’t try to hide how afraid he was. “After yesterday you can’t think…”

“I don’t.” Rey interrupted, tears already swimming in her eyes. “I know you’re right. But… I don’t want to go. I don’t want to leave you.”

He scoot closer and cupped her cheeks in his hands as he kissed her. “I know,” he whispered against her mouth. “I know.”

****

Two days later it was time for Rey to leave and there was no progress on who the traitor might be. She hated to leave Ben but to leave him without knowing who had betrayed him was even worse. Finn and Chewie’s presence was a small comfort but not enough to erase Rey’s anxiety. They weren’t his confidant, they couldn’t comfort him; they didn’t know how. 

There would not be a night that passed, she was sure, in which she didn’t worry about him. Maybe she would be safer in Chandrila but she wouldn’t have peace of mind. 

Rey had never moved more slowly than when she packed her bag. It wasn’t only because she was stalling; she also wasn’t sure how much to pack. 

“Exactly how long should I expect to be gone?” she asked, shooting a glance at her husband, who was carefully loading his revolver. He hadn’thad it on him since the day after they were married. There hadn’t been a need. That had changed.

“For as long as it takes to sort this whole thing out,” came his gruff reply. He spun the drum of the gun before snapping it in place and sliding into the holster strapped to his thigh. The brown leather was a stark contrast to his black jeans. When he was done he eyed the carpet bag that sat on their bed. “Probably longer than that.”

Rey halted her movements, wincing a bit when she put too much pressure on her injured leg. “Longer? How long?”

“I don’t know.” He shrugged. “Awhile.”

“Stop circling around it,” she snapped. Ben’s brows furrowed but she didn’t feel like apologizing. “How long?”

“I don’t know, Rey.” He opened his hands in a helpless gesture. “A week? A month?”

“A month? I’m not going to leave for a month!” She threw the dress she’d been holding down on the bed. “I’m not doing it.”

“Sweetheart,” he sighed. “We agreed.”

“I changed my mind. What if it’s longer than a month?” She swallowed back the lump in her throat that had appeared unbidden. “What if it’s two months? Or three? Or…” A wave of dizziness washed over her and she put a hand on her stomach as she planted herself on the bed. She had to close her eyes to keep herself from vomiting because the room was spinning. When she opened them again Ben was kneeling in front of her, hands cradling her throat, worry in his eyes. 

“Rey?”

“What if you’re not there when the baby comes?” she forced out with a choke, the tears she’d been fighting flowing down her cheeks. “I can’t… I need you with me.”

Ben wiped her tears away with his thumbs before dropping his hands to her shoulders and then her arms, sliding them up and down in a soothing motion. 

“I want to be there. But if the cost of you being safe is that I can’t then I’ll do it. I’ll do it, Rey.” His hands stopped and gripped her upper arms. “I’d give up everything for you.” 

“Oh, Ben,” she breathed. The look in his eyes almost scared her; _everything_ was in it: his love, his fear, his sincerity. Nothing was hidden and it stunned her.

“Please.” He folded their hands together in her lap. “Please do this for me. I can’t finish this unless I know you’re safe.”

Speechless, Rey could only nod slowly. She would do it. He would do anything for her. She would do the same for him, even if it was the hardest thing she’d ever done.

****

They never got to the train station. They didn’t even get off the property, for as Ben was leading Rey to the wagon, her bags already loaded, a group of three riders trotted into the yard. All wore dark clothing and dark hats, but Rey spotted red waistcoats peeking out from beneath their black coats. The style reminded her somewhat of how Ben dressed, except more like a uniform versus personal preference. 

Finn, Chewie, and Clyde were nearby and upon seeing the newcomers immediately moved to join Rey and Ben on the porch of the house, spacing themselves out until they were lined up along the veranda. Rey noticed they all had weapons on them.

As the riders approached Ben pushed her behind him, a hand on his gun. 

“Get in the house.”

Rey stared at the advancing party before turning her eyes on Ben and grasping hold of the hand he had on her waist. “No.” 

Whatever happened, they would see it through together. 

He didn’t look back but his fingers tightened around her hand. The three riders slowed their horses until they stood about thirty feet from the porch. Two of them were armed with shiny revolvers but the third had a shotgun laying across his lap. The one in the middle - the leader, Rey surmised - tipped his hat back to reveal a scarred and weathered face that made him seem older than Rey thought he really was.

“Boss?”

“Easy, Clyde.” Ben murmured. Louder, he called: “Haven’t seen you boys in awhile. Ap, thought you hated the desert.”

The man Ben had addressed didn’t seem amused. “Yep.”

Rey’s heart drummed a beat faster than a stampede. Whoever these men were, they were connected to Snoke.

“Maybe you could enlighten me as to why you’re here.” Ben’s casual tone belied the iron grip with which he held Rey’s hand. Rey sidled a bit closer, resting her other hand in the center of Ben’s back, reminding him, she hoped, that he wasn’t alone.

“The boss wants to speak with you. He hears you’ve been having trouble and wants to help.” 

From the corner of her eye Rey saw Finn slowly draw his weapon out of the holster on his hip. Clyde and Chewie did the same. The other two riders noticed as well, because they didn’t take their stony gazes off of the three men on the porch. 

“I’m afraid I’m a mite busy at the moment. Maybe some other time.” Ben flashed a cocky smile. Rey marveled at the calm that had fallen over him, so different from how she’d expected him to be. A glance at Chewie showed a slight, sad smile lifting his beard. 

The leader - Ap - glanced at his companions. “Yeah, he figured you’d say something like that. He’ll make it worth your while. Says he can reimburse all your losses. All you have to do is come with us and hear him out.”

“He’s not going!” Rey popped out from behind Ben, who for the first time looked panicked. “You sons of bitches can just hightail it out of here because I have had enough of this!”

“Rey!” Ben hissed and attempted to yank her back but she wouldn’t budge. He compromised by taking a half step in front of her.

The three riders considered her with what she read as mildly interested expressions. 

“Rumors were true, huh.” Ap muttered. “Gone soft, Solo?”

“Moved on.” Ben shot back, his tone harsher now. “Tell that to Snoke. He doesn’t have a hold on me anymore. I’ve got nothing else to say to him and he sure as hell won’t say anything I want to hear.”

“He’s got a mighty fine offer.” One of the others piped up and leaned forward on the horn of his saddle. “You might want to hear what it is first before refusing.”

“Trudge.” Ben snarled. “You still walk with a limp?”

“Yeah, thanks to you.” The third snapped back. The one Ben called Ap put up a gloved hand. 

“That’s enough, Ush. Solo.” He looked at Ben. “The boss doesn’t like where things were left. He’s come to make amends.”

A hollow, chilling laugh exited Ben’s chest and he took a step forward, down the first stair of the porch. Rey saw his fingers twitch over his gun and that more than anything he could say caused her to draw back. 

“Is that right?” he asked quietly. “How so?”

“Like Ap said, he’s heard about the hardships you’ve been having.” Trudge spoke again. Rey stiffened; of course Snoke would know, she thought, he caused them. “He wants to make a deal. You come back and work for him, the bad things stop.”

Ben tilted his head to one side. “That simple, huh?”

“That simple.” Ap nodded. “Think about it. He’s staying at the hotel in town.” They turned their horses to leave and Rey was about to breathe again when Ap stopped and faced them once more. “I wouldn’t try to leave town. The boss doesn’t want to miss you.”

There was no possibility the words could be or were meant as anything but a threat. Rey and the men stood frozen as the three riders cantered away and no one moved until they were outside the ranch’s boundaries. 

“Finn,” Ben didn’t look at his foreman when he spoke. “Put a guard up around the ranch yard.” Finn made to obey but Ben turned and put a hand on his shoulder. “And you might want to bring Rose and Paige to stay at the house. Temporarily.”

Finn looked stunned but that morphed quickly into a harder expression and he nodded. “Yes, sir. Clyde, Doph. Come on.”

There was a minute after they were gone in which both Rey and Ben stayed still. Rey didn’t know what to say and Ben seemed too lost in thought to respond to anything. She watched him, waiting for him to speak first. 

“I should have known.”

“Known what?” Rey stepped forward to the edge of the porch. Even though he was standing on the step he still towered over her.

“That I could never get away.” He whispered, raising such tired, mournful eyes to her that Rey’s heart shattered. “He was always gonna come for me. And now… now you’re in danger. Now I can’t even get you out of here. You shouldn’t be here.”

Rey instantly pulled him into her embrace and pressed her mouth to the side of his neck. “I’m exactly where I should be.” Her husband slipped his arms around her waist and stepped back onto the porch. Rey had to stand on her toes to maintain her position. 

“I can’t lose you. But I’m afraid I will.” He said it like a secret, his lips against her ear. Rey shook her head and pulled back enough to meet his eyes. 

“You won’t.” She pressed her palms to his cheeks to hold his gaze. “I’ll shoot that bastard Snoke myself if I have to. He’s taken enough from you. From us.” Rey slid her fingers into his hair and drew him into a kiss, gentle at first but it changed into a more desperate, demanding one and she gave him all he wanted, all he needed until his lips moved over her cheeks and down her throat and he just held her. Held her to him so tight Rey knew he was afraid she would disappear if he let go. 

She wasn’t going to disappear. No, she wasn’t going to leave him or let Snoke take her from him. Neither was she going to let Snoke take Ben from  her. 

Especially not that.

Rey stared over Ben’s shoulder at the dust trail left behind by Snoke’s men. 

If they came back it had better be with an army because she wasn’t going to let them leave alive. 


	10. Chapter 10

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ben and Rey find out who the traitor is and have a run in with their enemy.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> alkjafdlkadflkafadlkfafdlfk
> 
> i have one more chapter and an epilogue left y'all. i am not ready for this.

Ben doubled down on rooting out the traitor the evening after the visit from Snoke’s men. There was no more pretense, no discrete questioning. He set about actively investigating each and every one of them. Some were cleared immediately; Clyde and Pat were the first - Rey never thought Clyde was a real possibility anyway; a day later Cassian, Biggs, and Wedge; Finn and Chewie cleared Wes and McQaurrie. 

That left Rex, Cody, Wes, Owen, Matt, Flip, Doph, and Moden. 

Almost half the crew was still under suspicion and it created a tense environment for everyone, on top of the constant fear that Snoke and his group would pop up on the ranch looking to finish what they started. 

Until the suspect was found Ben made Rey promise not to go anywhere unaccompanied. She turned it around and called on him to promise the same. He wasn’t the only one with something to lose. 

To make things that much worse, Rey hadn’t stopped suffering from morning sickness and found herself sick in the middle of the day as well. Most probably a result of the stress, Rose had guessed, and forced Rey to slow down. She was a mother hen about it but Rey wasn’t complaining. She was a great help and little Paige was a spot of sunshine in the gloom. 

Ben was tired. Rey could tell even though he tried to hide it. He was worried about her, about the ranch, about everything and it broke her heart. He didn’t sleep. Every night after the visit from Snoke’s men Rey would wake up to find her husband sitting at the window, his shot gun in his lap. Three nights in a row. She worried at some point he would collapse. She prayed every chance she got for relief and finally, on a Friday, they got it. 

Flip, Rex, and Cody had banded together to clear their names. Flip had gotten hooked on the day Rey had gotten snake bit; he was convinced someone had planted it in the garden. None of them were satisfied with the explanation of why Doph and Moden hadn’t responded to Rey’s cry for aid.

Moden had done all the talking. Doph had been unusually quiet but in the end had corroborated Moden’s explanation. Apparently the two men had both gone to dump a pile of the barn’s wreckage in the desert. Moden had claimed they’d thought it was safe enough to leave.

Working on the theory that they had to be lying, Flip, Rex, and Cody confronted Doph, who fell apart nearly immediately. 

It was true, he and Moden had both gone to get rid of the wood, but during the excursion Moden had doubled back because he’d said he’d forgotten something. Doph hadn’t thought much about it until Rey got hurt and that night Doph had asked Moden where he’d gone. Moden had threatened him, swearing to tell the boss about Doph’s secret gambling habit if he said anything. So Doph had stayed silent. 

“I’m sorry. I didn’t want to get fired,” he’d said, apparently in tears.

Doph was fired, no doubt about it.

The boys immediately reported to Finn, who came to the house and told Ben.

There was silence in the parlor for a few heavy seconds while the revelation settled over everyone. Rose was holding Paige, her jaw slack. 

Rey didn’t look away from Ben who sat on the couch beside her. He was rigid, his hands in tight fists on his knees, his chest heaving. She darted a glance at Finn who was also watching Ben, waiting pensively for what he would do next. 

With no warning Ben jumped up and strode out of the room. Rey and Finn were not far behind him, Finn yelling at Rose to stay inside. 

Rey’s heart pounded as she followed Ben out into the afternoon sun and toward the bunks. He was a machine, an unstoppable train. She called to him but he either didn’t hear or he ignored her. 

The next few seconds were a flurry as he ripped open the door to the bunk house - tear it off the hinges - and stalked inside. Finn yanked Rey back as a second later Moden came tumbling out of the building, rolling to a stop in the dirt before them. There was no time for him to recover; Ben was right there and hauled him up by the shirt collar. 

“Are you working for Snoke?” he growled and gave Moden a shake. “Did you try to kill Rey? Did you try to kill my wife?”

“You’re insane,” Moden gasped, his fingers wrapping around Ben’s wrists. It was a futile struggle. Ben only tightened his grip and lifted Moden off his feet. 

“Answer me,” he snarled. “Or I will end you right now.”

That broke Moden’s silence. “Yeah,” he said with a strangled laugh. “Yeah, I know. That’s who you are, ain’t it?” he hissed and Rey saw her husband’s face pale. “A killer. Snoke didn’t _make_ you one. He _honed _what you already were. Did you really think finding a bitch to fuck would make a difference?” 

Rey covered her mouth to stifle a cry when Ben’s fist slammed into Moden’s jaw. Only it didn’t stop there. He did it again, and again, and again, drawing back bloodier and bloodier knuckles with each pass.

By this time the ranch hands who weren’t out in the fields had gathered. Including Flip and Clyde, who immediately rushed to pull Ben off Moden but they were thrown back in a show of strength Rey didn’t know Ben was capable of. 

But the action gave Moden an opening and he kicked at Ben, hitting him in the gut and forcing him to stumble back. A disgusting smirk appeared on Moden’s face and he drew his arm back to slam a tight fist into Ben’s head. Rey gasped and would have rushed forward except that Finn was holding on to her. Unfortunately for Moden, the hit seemed to give Ben energy instead of taking him down because as soon as he regained his balance, Ben rolled his shoulders, spit the blood out of his mouth, and _grinned_. Rey couldn’t believe it; her insufferable, idiot husband was actually smiling. 

Ben was bigger than Moden. He was taller, younger, and broader. There was no contest and the next few seconds proved that. Ben came at Moden with a right hook to stun him and then grabbed him around the neck and kneed him in the belly. Moden went sprawling back and Ben straddled his prone body, gripping the other man’s shirt to pull him up only to slam him into the ground again. The ranch hands looked amongst themselves, apparently debating whether or not they should try to pull the two men apart again. They’d been betrayed, too, and seeing Moden get what was coming to him probably felt pretty good. 

But Rey’d seen enough. She wasn’t going to let Ben maim Moden beyond repair, no matter what the man had done.

“Ben, stop!” she shouted, attempting to free herself from Finn’s grip. This was ridiculous. “Finn, for the love of all that is holy, let go of me!” She stomped on Finn’s foot and with a yowl he released her. Rey rushed forward at the same time Chewie appeared from around the corner of the house. Rey reached Ben first and pulled at his shoulders. “Stop it! Ben, listen to me! You have to stop!”

Whether it was her touch or her words, Rey wasn’t sure, but he stopped. His head dropped to his chest and he shuddered, drawing in deep, rattling breaths. Rey knelt beside him, a hand between his shoulder blades and her other on his arm. His hair hung around his face, hiding it from her, but she could still see the blood dribbling from his nose and onto Moden’s sodden shirt. For that she wanted to give Moden an ass kicking of her own. But Ben wasn’t done. His hand shot forward and gripped Moden under the chin, forcing his face up. Rey sucked in sharp breath and curled her fingers into Ben’s bicep, ready to do something if he lost control again. 

“Did you…” Ben took another deep breath. “Did you try to kill Rey?”

Moden coughed, choking on his own blood and Ben’s hand. “Yes,” he gasped. 

“And the cattle? Was that you, too?” 

Still caught under Ben’s grip, Moden nodded as best he could. 

Chewie appeared at Ben’s other side and ripped him off Moden without a word, pulling him to his feet by the back of his shirt. Rey jumped up and gripped Ben’s bloodied shirt, standing between him and Moden. She bit her tongue to keep herself from crying at the sight of him. The unscarred half of his face was cut and already bruising and his nose and lip were bleeding and puffy.

“Ben?” she whispered, pressing a palm to his uninjured cheek. He looked at her with sad eyes and swallowed thickly before his gaze drifted back to Moden’s struggling figure.

“Get that piece of shit off my ranch,” he ordered no one in particular, not that he needed to. The others were already moving to do just that. Rey glanced over her shoulder to see the culprit of their troubles - Snoke’s agent - being half dragged, half escorted away by the crew. Chewie went to oversee the exit. She returned her attention to her husband as he took a step away from her, wiping his mouth of blood. She reached for his hand and drew him back to her. 

“We should get you cleaned up,” she said. “Come inside.”

Ben didn’t look at her and she tugged on his hand but instead of following her, he pulled her into his arms and buried his face against the crook of her neck. 

“I’m sorry.” He whispered. 

“I know,” Rey sifted her fingers into his hair in the way she knew soothed him. “I know. It’s alright. He’s gone now.”

“No,” he raised his head and his fingers brushed her cheek where she’d somehow gotten stained with blood but he stopped and looked at his hand, at his battered knuckles caked with his and Moden’s blood. “Rey, I mean…”

“I _know_.” Rey repeated. “I know what you mean and I know what you’re thinking but you’re not. You’re not what he said.” She put her hand on his chest, right over his heart; the beat was fast and almost erratic. “I know who you are and so do you." 

“I almost killed him.”

“But you didn’t.”

“I wanted to,” he murmured. “I was ready to. I think that if you hadn’t stopped me…”

“If you really wanted to kill him, not even I could stop you.” Rey brushed his dirty hair away from his face, which had softened its worried expression. She spoke the truth and he knew it. “Now come inside and let me clean you up.” 

He took her hand and brought it to his lips before he nodded and dutifully followed her into the house. 

****

They made love that night. Rey sensed his need to be reminded he could do something good, that he wasn’t the monster he thought himself. The creature that others thought him. She needed to prove that she wanted him; no matter his past or what he’d done. 

So as they moved together, she made sure to whisper everything he meant to her, all the thoughts she somehow never got a chance to say aloud. There wasn’t a single part of her that didn’t love him and she told him so.

****

On that Sunday Rey wanted to attend church. Ben was against it; Snoke was in town, he said, it was too dangerous, but Rey didn’t budge. On any other Sunday she would hav agreed but it was Easter and if Snoke wanted to come at them on Easter Sunday, then God would have a say about it.

As she would not let up Ben gave in but insisted they bring a few of the ranch hands with them. Rey didn’t argue. 

There was no incident on the way to nor during the service. While Reverend Ackbar’s message was well done, he and the rest of the congregation seemed on edge; there was heightened tension throughout the town and it wasn’t hard to guess why. 

Rey wondered if any of them knew that Snoke was after Ben. 

When the service was over Ben insisted on going home without stopping to talk to anyone, as they might usually. He’d been checking over his shoulder the entire time, unable to relax despite six of their ranch hands outside watching for trouble. Rey wished that she hadn’t been so adamant about going into town. She had wanted to take some control again and not be afraid. Show Snoke that he hadn’t won and wouldn’t. 

So she didn’t broach any resistance when Ben ushered her out of the church and toward their wagon and horses. The crew who had escorted them were milling nearby, most of them eyeing the hotel down the street. 

There hadn’t been any movement so far, they reported. 

As Rey was carefully assisted into the wagon by Ben, Flip whistled a signal Ben had prepared before they’d left and Rey’s heart leapt to her throat. Everyone turned as one to see a group of men exit the hotel and walk toward the church. There was a tall man at the front, dressed in what Rey could see were expensive clothes - Snoke himself. 

Other members of the congregation were still milling about, unaware of the approaching gang.

“Get down,” Ben ordered, gripping Rey about the waist of her green Sunday dress and lifting her off the wagon. Some of the ranch hands mounted their horses, giving them something of an advantage. The others flanked the wagon. They all had weapons on them; some carried rifles, some pistols, but all were loaded. 

Rey itched for one of her own and reached under the seat of the wagon for the shotgun Ben had placed there. An amused snort came from behind her and she glanced over her shoulder to see Matt smirking. A smile lifted her own lips and when Ben looked her way she shot him a defiant expression the sight of which caused his own mouth to twitch up. 

The levity did not last long. Snoke and his crew were now in the churchyard. There was no mistaking who they were; Rey recognized the three men who’d come to the ranch before. Joining them were four more of the same type and Moden limping behind. 

The weasel had run straight to Snoke. Not that Ben and Rey had any other recourse in Niima other than to exile him off the ranch; the town didn’t have a full time sheriff yet. Only thing close were marshals that came through every now and then to check on things. 

“Benjamin!” Snoke called and raised a hand in greeting, as casual as if he was any person calling to a friend on a Sunday morning. “How nice to run into you. There are some things we need to discuss.” 

When she got a good look, Rey was shocked to see Snoke’s features were destroyed. By what she couldn’t guess, but he was horribly disfigured, his face sunken in on one side accompanied by a grotesque scar. It was a wonder he could speak at all.

“Yeah, that’s true.” Ben strode forward until he was parallel with the rear of the wagon. Rey edged up behind him. “Discuss you leavin’ us alone. I found your rat.” He jerked his chin in Moden’s direction. “You’re done, Snoke. I won’t be falling for any more of your tricks.”

By this time the rest of the people milling around had scattered. All but one. 

“Mr. Snoke!” He called as he trotted over to Snoke’s group. There was a quiet exchange between he and Snoke and after Hux was on his way to the hotel. So he was one of Snoke’s lackeys now, Rey thought; figured. 

“Benjamin…” Snoke’s lip curled in disgust, “ah, I never could stand that name… Kylo is much more fitting.”

Tension set Ben’s shoulders into a rod. “My name is Ben and I don’t work for you anymore.” 

“Yes, but that could change.” Snoke’s eyes flicked toward Rey, who’d stepped up to Ben’s side. “And is this the little lady?”

“If you mean his wife, then yes, you fucking toad.” Rey bit back. She ignored Ben’s bewildered glance.

Snoke’s mouth twisted into what Rey guessed was a smile. “She’s…charming.” He said it like he meant the opposite and Rey bristled. She opened her mouth to retort but Ben spoke before she could. 

“She’s none of your concern.” He snapped. “Neither am I. Ap told me what you want. I’m not going back.”

Snoke took another few steps forward, until the two groups were barely twenty feet apart. Both sides went rigid as the two leaders squared off, ready for anything.

“I’m willing to forgive all your mistakes.” Snoke said, ignoring everyone else. "You know you belong with me. It’s what you were born to do. Don’t you remember the thrill, Kylo? The raw, untamed power of the chase?” he held up a fist, an ugly grin on his face. “How it made you feel _alive_? I gave that to you. I gave you purpose. Come back with me and I’ll let you keep your homestead. Keep your business as your own. No harm will come to anyone.” His eyes once again fell on Rey, far too conspicuously to be misunderstood.

Ben’s hands were shaking. Rey watched him fist them so tight he cracked the scabs from beating Moden. She wanted to scream at Snoke, shoot his damn head off, but that would cause a firefight and more deaths than just his. Instead she shoved her gun at Matt and grabbed Ben’s hand. The action jolted him and his fingers loosened only to close around hers in a vice. Rey pressed her forehead into his shoulder. 

“I’m with you,” she whispered. Whatever his decision, that wouldn’t change. She hoped he knew that. Ben sighed out a deep breath and his thumb brushed over hers in an understanding gesture. 

“You should leave town, Snoke.” He growled. “Step one foot onto my ranch - hurt anybody I love - I will shoot you dead.”

Rey raised her head in time to see displeasure contort Snoke’s deformed face. 

“That is the wrong decision, Benjamin.” He said coldly. Without another word he turned and strode away; his posse followed dutifully behind him. 

A reckoning was coming. Rey was sure.

They’d be ready. 


	11. Chapter 11

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Rey and Ben confront Snoke for the last time

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As this is technically the last full chapter, I just want to say thank you all for reading and engaging with this fic. This one turned out more angsty than I expected but it was so much fun to expand this world! I hope the finale is cathartic and satisfying for y'all and, again, thank you for taking this journey with me! ❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️

Not long after the confrontation in Niima, Ben and Rey received telegrams alerting them that their business was slowly, but surely, being dismantled by an outside source. Poe Dameron wrote them he was doing his best, but something was wrong. Investors and clients were dropping left and right and seemingly without reason. 

Rey and Ben knew the reason. Snoke was trying to smoke them out, show them his power and force them to join him or fail. It wouldn’t work. 

The ranch went on high alert. Ben had guards around the perimeter night and day and the boys were glad to do it. The ranch was their home, too. 

Every now and then there would be a plume of dust on the road or one of the boys would see a rider in the fields. Snoke was watching them.

But the events were taking their toll. Ben was out most nights, standing guard with his crew. Rey didn’t sleep. How could she sleep when she was too busy worrying about Ben being ambushed in the dead of night by a gang of bloodthirsty, revenge-seeking murderers?

When she did manage to fall asleep without Ben in their bed, she inevitably had nightmares and would wake in a cold sweat. It wasn’t something she had expected; she’d lived through her fair share of bad times and nightmares were rarely a part of them. Then again, she didn’t have much to lose then. Now she had everything to lose. 

Rose did her best to help: she prepared hot milk to calm Rey’s anxiety or when that didn’t worked stayed up late with Rey while she worried. 

One afternoon, about a week and a half into the new normal, Ben strode into the kitchen from his latest shift outside. Rey and Rose were having a much needed cup of tea. When her husband walked in Rey stood up and he immediately went to her. 

“You’re pale,” he murmured. His hands rose to frame her face and his brows furrowed as his eyes roved over her. “How are you feeling?”

“I’m fine,” Rey insisted. She hadn’t told him about the nightmares. He wasn’t getting much sleep himself and the last thing he needed was to worry over her. She rested her hands over his. “Better now.”

Paige cooed from the cradle Rose had set beside the table and her mother excused herself and took the baby out. Rey knew she’d done it so that Ben and she could have a moment together and was grateful. They’d had so few lately. 

“You don’t look fine.” Ben insisted once Rose was gone. “You look sick.”

“Why thank you, darling.” Rey responded dryly. “That's what a wife loves to hear."

Ben wasn’t amused. “I’m serious Rey. What’s going on?”

“Fine.” Rey sighed. She lacked the energy to deny it and he wasn’t going to let it go. “I can’t sleep on the nights you’re out. If I do I… I have nightmares. The kind you keep seeing after you wake up.” She focused on one of the buttons on his shirt. She didn’t want him to see the tears welling in her eyes. “I see you dying. Horribly. There’s nothing I can do to stop it. I can’t even scream. It’s like I’m paralyzed. I just watch him kill you…” 

His arms wrapped around her in a tight embrace and Rey burrowed against his chest, tangible evidence that the images in her head weren’t real. He was. Hard and soft and warm and there. 

“That’s not gonna happen.” His voice came out thick. “I promise.”

He couldn’t promise any such thing but nonetheless it was comforting to hear. Rey breathed in deeply - inhaling his scent which was marked with dirt and sweat because of his time outside - and exhaled slowly. 

“I love you, Ben.” 

His lips pressed hard into the top of her head. “I love you, too.”

****

Not a minute after their quiet exchange, Clyde burst into the kitchen. 

“Boss! He’s comin’. No doubt this time. Got the whole party with him.”

Rey stiffened where she stood, held against her husband’s chest. Snoke was there. He and all of his dark knights. Ben tightened his hold around her. For himself or for her, Rey wasn’t sure. 

“Get everyone armed and out there.” Ben said. "We’re finishing this.”

****

Ben tried to persuade Rey to stay inside but she wouldn’t have it. She would walk out with him; she needed to. She agreed to stay on the veranda but wouldn’t be without protection. 

As she passed the front door, Rey reached out and touched the shotgun that leaned against frame, well within arms reach. If things went south - an inevitability - she would have a way to defend herself. And she would use it. 

Sure enough, when she and Ben stepped outside, there were Snoke and his men, standing at the border of their ranch yard, along with a few others Rey didn’t recognize. He must have called for reinforcements. The ranch’s crew were assembled in strategic places, behind cover, all their weapons ready and aimed at the invading force. Chewie and Finn were on the porch, flanking Ben and Rey. Fear wrapped its dark cloak around her and she reached out and grabbed Ben’s hand tightly in her own. He squeezed her hand back. 

“It’s not too late, Benjamin,” Snoke called, his gravelly voice carried across the ranch yard and made the chickens squawk. “We can all move past this. Just come with me now, my boy, and you have nothing to fear.”

Ben flinched and Rey saw red. Whatever those words meant to her husband, Snoke had used them deliberately to hurt him. Anger outpaced fear and before any of the men on the porch could react, Rey had grabbed the shotgun and strode out into the middle of the ranch yard. 

“How about you get off our ranch, you fucking son of a bitch!” She shouted, cocking and aiming the gun right at Snoke’s chest. Rey heard a chorus of guns being drawn on both sides and saw how many of those on the enemy’s side were pointed at her and instantly regretted her rash decision. But there was no going back so she refocused on Snoke, tightening her fingers around the barrel of her gun to stop their trembling. 

Snoke uttered a slow, drawn out laugh and waved at his men. They lowered their guns. “I can see why you chose this one, Benjamin. She has fire.” A glint came into his eye. "Your child will be a force to be reckoned with.” 

Rey’s heart stopped and her stomach churned. “H-how did…”

“The town’s doctor and I had a very illuminating conversation the other day,” Snoke supplied casually. “I’m terribly sorry about the snake. Had I known of your condition…” he trailed off. His eyes flicked up and his men’s stances shifted, the tension among them mounting. 

Ben had come up beside her and his revolver was aimed at Snoke’s head. “Get back to the house,” he growled. But Rey had gone numb and barely heard him.

Snoke took a few steps forward, into the yard. He focused on Ben, not phased by the revolver. “Your ranch is failing, Benjamin. The fragile reputation you’ve cultured has broken. And this,” he gestured around them, “this will end in bloodshed. But it doesn’t have to. I can give you the success you desire. Wealth and power beyond your imagination. You know I can.”

“I’m not afraid of failure, Snoke. Not anymore.” Ben shot back. “I can rebuild what you tore down. Done it before. So you can take your offer and shove it up your wrinkled ass.” 

Rey didn’t know if she’d ever been prouder of her husband.

Snoke wasn’t as pleased. 

“That is… disappointing.” He said. “Very disappointing.” Snoke looked at the man Rey recognized as Ap and nodded. 

Immediately Snoke’s man raised his rifle and aimed it at Rey. Ben swiveled toward Ap and pulled back the hammer of his revolver. 

“You won’t get the chance to fire, Ap,” he snapped. Ap’s finger twitched over the trigger of the rifle but Rey noticed him glance warily at Snoke. 

Sure that this was it, that the shootout was seconds away, Rey tightened her hold on the shotgun. Ben must have thought the same because he shifted ever so slightly to make it easier to pull her behind him should he need to. 

Rey risked a look at Ben. She knew the ranch’s crew were with them, ready to fire, but she also knew that the odds of she and Ben both surviving were low. If this was the end, she needed him to know, one last time, how much she loved him.

“Ben…”

“Boss!” One of Snoke’s men shouted. “Marshals!” 

The entirety of Snoke’s group pivoted to face the sizable dust plume coming toward the ranch. Rey shaded her eyes and was able to make out five riders galloping down the road. The sun reflected off silver stars pinned to their chests: Republic marshals. 

“Holy shit.” Ben breathed. “Ho-ly shit.”

Rey lowered the shotgun and gripped Ben’s forearm but didn’t take her eyes off the road. A real life miracle was racing toward them right then and she didn’t want to miss it. 

“What are you standing there for?” Snoke screamed. “Fire!”

A millisecond before the first shot rang out, Rey was tugged behind a strategically placed barrel and tucked against her husband’s chest. She’d dropped the shotgun in her surprise but didn’t dare reach out for it. Snoke and his crew were raining hell on the approaching marshals but they were out in the open; there wasn’t any cover save for a few bushes beyond the yard. 

Rey winced as the firing continued, followed by shouts and a couple of screams. Someone had been shot but she didn’t know if it was on Snoke’s side or the marshals. Beside her Ben peeked up over the barrel. He hadn’t given the order to shoot but from the look on his face, he was about to. 

“Chewie! Let’s help the Marshals out!” 

As soon as he said it half of Snoke’s men turned and volleyed gunfire toward the ranch. Rey stayed down as Ben fired; she knew he must have hit a mark or two; he was too good a shot not to have. But only a minute in Rey heard a whistle above her head and blood splattered her cheek. Ben was thrown back from the force of the bullet that hit him and clutched at his left shoulder. Blood sifted between his fingers and soaked his shirt, dribbling onto the ground from the hole in his arm. 

“Ben!” Rey cried out and scrambled over to his side to press her own hands into his shoulder, trying to keep her head down as much as possible. She heard Chewie and the boys shouting and the firing seemed to increase, probably providing she and Ben some cover. But all she cared about was her wounded husband. The injury didn’t look like it had hit an artery and Rey suspected the bullet had gone straight through but she needed to stop the bleeding.

“I’m alright, sweetheart,” Ben panted. “I’m alright.”

“Shut up.” Rey ordered and without a second thought tore a chunk of her skirt off and wrapped it around his shoulder. Ben hissed as she tightened it but otherwise didn’t complain. Rey helped him back against the barrel and only then did she allow her hands to shake as she grabbed his face. “Don’t scare me like that.”

A soft huff escaped his lips and he pressed his forehead to hers. “Nothing’s gonna take me from you, sweetheart.” Then, to her horror, he twisted to shout over the barrel: “You missed, Ush! You’re still shit with that rifle!”

The response was a shouted ‘fuck you’ and another shot which whipped through the air to hit one of the porch steps. Ben slumped back down, a grin on his face. Rey dug her nails into his good arm and he had the good sense to drop the smile when he saw the look she landed on him. 

“Are you trying to get fucking killed?”

Her insufferable husband managed to look contrite but in the way a child might when they were caught with their hand in cookie jar. “Sorry.”

“You’re impossible.” Rey shook her head and handed him the revolver. “Be careful.”

Ben pressed a kiss to her cheek before resuming his assault to a cheer from the ranch hands. 

Outnumbered and taking fire from multiple sides, it was only a matter of time before Snoke and his crew surrendered. The gunfire stopped abruptly and when it did Rey slowly looked over the barrel. To her delight, Snoke and his crew were already on their knees, surrounded by the marshals. There were bodies on the ground nearby: from what Rey could tell, they were all from Snoke’s side. 

A few minutes later the entirety of Falcon Ranch and the marshals were gathered around the kneeling band of outlaws. 

“We chased Snoke here all the way from Naboo City,” the marshal in charge - by the name of Johnson - was saying. “Realized he was on the hunt for someone somewhere out here so we followed up on it.” He gave Ben a meaningful look. “Glad to see we weren’t too late.”

“So are we.” Rey said and sidled closer into Ben’s side. His arm slipped around her waist. His injured side was already in a makeshift sling Chewie had supplied. As they stood talking with the marshals, Rey kept one eye on Snoke, who seemed to be a bit too calm about the whole thing. “We don’t know how to thank you all, Marshal Johnson.”

The man - a bit shorter than Rey with salt-and-pepper scruff - waved a hand dismissively and offered a grin. “Just doing our job, ma’am. But, if you don’t mind my asking, why he was so interested in your homestead?”

Ben cleared his throat, looking uncomfortable. “My family has a long history with Snoke, unfortunately.” 

The marshal grunted but, to Rey's relief, seemed to accept the roundabout answer. She supposed Snoke had done enough damage that it wasn’t a surprise he might have a random vendetta on someone. 

“Alright, about time we get out of your hair. We’ve got a train back to Chandrila to catch. Round ‘em up!” He jerked a thumb at the prisoners and the other marshals ordered them stand. Rey and Ben made to get out of the way.

There was a second in the procession as the marshals guided their prisoners toward the road, where Rey was within a foot of Snoke. Only a second. But it was enough. 

A clammy hand wrapped around her neck and she was ripped away from Ben’s side and into Snoke’s. Rey struggled but a cold, sharp edge was pressed to her neck and she went still.She didn’t even breathe. All she could do was stare out into the shocked faces of the marshals and… Ben.

She’d never seen him look that way. Fury and terror were warring for dominance on his face and his revolver was up and pointed again at Snoke’s head, his sling flung from his arm. Everyone was stock still and had their guns out, the rest of the marshals and the ranch crew making sure Snoke’s men didn’t try to make a move in support of their leader. But Rey saw how they kept glancing at her and Snoke, their expressions grim. 

“Let her go.” Ben’s voice was low and dangerous. 

“I think not,” Snoke replied, as casual as if he’d just refused a cup of coffee. Rey could smell his dank breath and grimaced. “Weapons down, please.” 

“Not happening.” Marshal Johnson called. Snoke hummed and Rey tensed as he dug what she suspected was a knife into her skin. 

“Unless you want her life to end now I suggest you do as I ask.”

The marshal uttered a curse and waved a hand at the others. His fellow lawmen and the ranch hands all lowered their guns. Ben was last. For a moment he and Snoke simply stared at each other. Ben’s eyes flicked to Rey and he swallowed before holstering his gun. 

“Good. Now, gentlemen,” Snoke nodded at his gang, “please pick up your weapons and gather the horses.”

They did as they were told, moving slowly as they picked up their abandoned guns and backed toward the horses. Snoke remained, holding Rey. Her mind whirled, searching for something she could do, anything to give Ben and the marshals the upper hand again.

“What are you going to do, Snoke?” Ben called. He managed to sound strong. Rey didn’t know how. 

“You need to be taught a lesson, young Solo.” Snoke replied. “This life,” the knife he held to Rey’s throat dug in a little deeper and she tensed, “this domestic scene you’ve designed for yourself is an illusion and so. Easily. Shattered.” He’d moved his weapon to Rey’s upper arm and punctuated each word with a slow, deliberate etching into her skin.

Rey closed her eyes and bit into her lip to prevent herself from crying out. She wouldn’t give Snoke that satisfaction. When she opened her eyes she caught Ben’s gaze - scared and furious and determined - and he mouthed something to her. ‘Hold on’, he seemed to say. Rey managed a minuscule nod in response. 

Snoke continued, apparently missing the exchange: “You asked earlier why I am so interested in Solo, Marshal Johnson. I’ll tell you. I assume you remember the infamous Kylo Ren.”

Rey knew where Snoke was headed. 

After the run-in on Sunday, Rey had asked Ben to tell her everything about his time in Snoke’s gang, including the meaning of the name ‘Kylo Ren’. He’d said many knew he’d done some less than legal things in his youth, but not what and not what name he’d gone by. What he’d told her, far beyond the incident with his father, had shaken her but she could also see Ben’s brokenness. He wasn’t that person anymore. That person was long gone. But a lot people - including the law - wouldn’t see it that way.

Even the earth seemed to stop spinning and Rey couldn’t help the sound of protest that left her throat, only to have it strangled by Snoke pressing the knife into her neck again as a warning. Ben lurched forward in response but Marshal Johnson clapped a hand on his shoulder. 

The marshal's eyes narrowed as he turned his attention back on Snoke. "Ren was one of yours. The worst of them. Disappeared during the war. He’s assumed dead.”

“Oh, he’s not dead.” Snoke said with an ugly chuckle. “He’s very much alive. He’s standing beside you, Marshal: Ben Solo.”

Marshal Johnson looked sharply at Ben, but if Ben noticed he didn’t react. His eyes were on Snoke. 

“You didn’t answer my question,” Ben growled. 

Rey couldn’t see him, but she could _hear_ Snoke smile as he replied. “If you’re concerned I’m going to kill your wife, you needn’t be. Allow me to leave freely and no harm will come to her. She’s carrying something precious to me.” His knife wielding hand drifting down to her stomach. “I don’t wish to harm her. I have other plans.” As the implication of what he’d said sunk in, Rey experienced a fear so primal, so deep, that she went cold from head to toe. From the look on Ben’s face, he had, too. 

“Please. Don’t.” 

Rey’d never heard her husband beg. Had never heard such desperation in his voice and her heart shattered. 

“Please? _Please?_” Snoke snarled. “It’s too late for that.”

The gangster’s free hand rose from her waist to grab her arm and in a flash Rey saw an opportunity. She only had a split second and wouldn't waste it. With a distracting shout, her heel slammed into Snoke’s in-step and she heaved her elbow into his side with all the force she possessed. A heavy grunt left his chest and he stumbled backward, tearing her dress as he tried to hang on. Rey sprinted toward Ben who was ready and grabbed hold of her, pulling her against him.

At the same time the rest of the marshals and the ranch crew lifted their guns again and aimed at Snoke’s gang. Someone fired and all hell broke loose as the fight began anew. Ben shielded Rey as he tried to get them both to cover but Rey stumbled as a bullet whipped past them and half fell, saved only by Ben’s arm tightening around her waist as he hauled her back up. As she rose Rey watched one of the marshals charge at Snoke. There was a struggle, the marshal was thrown back, and Snoke came out of it with the lawman’s revolver…

And aimed it straight at Ben and Rey. 

They froze. Ben’s right hand dropped from Rey’s waist.

“The lesson isn’t over, Solo.” Snoke snarled and inched his aim at Rey. 

Ben sucked in a breath but Rey didn’t hear him exhale. 

His finger on the trigger, Snoke cocked back the hammer of the gun. 

Rey closed her eyes. 

The shot that followed was deafening and a ringing filled her ears. She didn't feel any pain. Maybe that was how it was, getting shot. No pain until you saw where it was. She thought she’d heard that somewhere.

When Rey opened her eyes the first thing she saw was Ben’s raised arm. Her gaze trailed its length until she reached his hand, where he held his still smoking revolver. Rey looked past him in time to see Snoke’s body fall to the ground with a thump and a puff of dust. 

Everything stopped. All the noise, the fighting. Everyone stood rigid. 

Ben released his breath with a shudder. 

The marshals were the first to move. They and the ranch crew raised their weapons before Snoke’s gang could. 

“Your leader's dead.” Marshal Johnson shouted. “Surrender and you won’t end up the same.”

The clatter of guns being dropped rang around the yard but Rey barely heard. Ben had lowered his arm but he was still staring at the dead body of the man he’d once followed. His entire body was slack, as if he was suddenly exhausted and about to fall down. Rey turned and held his face between her hands to draw his eyes down to hers. Their gazes locked and he gave her a small, sad smile. 

“I'm sorry, sweetheart.”

“Why?” Rey whispered, her voice thick with tears she was trying very hard to control. She already knew the answer. Snoke might have been dead, but his words couldn’t be forgotten. The Republic marshals now knew the identity of Snoke’s highest-ranking outlaw. And he was standing right there.

“The marshals are gonna take me, too. They have to.”

“Maybe,” Rey put a trembling hand on his chest. “Maybe your mother…maybe she can help…”

Ben shook his head. “No. Some things not even she can stop.”

Because they’d make an example of him. Maybe even because of who his mother was. Because Snoke was dead. Because he was wanted on so many crimes Rey didn’t think she could count them. A series of events unfolded before her like a horror story, one she was inside and couldn’t escape, like her dreams: Ben in prison, his trial…

His execution. 

“No.”

“Rey…” 

She put up a finger and took a step back but the world was spinning and she swayed. “No.”

Ben rushed to put his gun down on the ground and reach out to support Rey by the waist. As soon as his hands rose Rey gripped his strong forearms, needing an anchor. But as soon as the thought crossed her mind that _he _was that anchor for her, not just now but always and that he would be gone - would be taken from her - she broke. Her knees buckled but he was there to catch her and pulled her tight to his chest. Rey pressed her face to his shirt to hide her tears and smother her sobs but she couldn’t hide how her shoulders shook. It was too much. All of it was too much. 

A shadow passed over them and Rey lifted her head enough to see Marshal Johnson standing behind Ben. Her fingers curled into Ben’s shirt, instinctively refusing to release him. They could take her, too, for all she cared. She wouldn’t let go. 

But Ben - her brave, good Ben - while he didn’t lower his embrace, was resigned. 

“Can I have one more minute before we leave?” he asked. Rey felt sick. 

The marshal tilted his head. “You goin’ somewhere?”

Rey and Ben both turned with identical expressions of confusion. 

“Aren’t you going to arrest me?” Ben asked. 

An amused expression appeared on Johnson’s face. “Why would I do that?”

“Because I’m… I’m Kylo Ren…”

“That’s not possible.” Johnson chuckled. “He died a long time ago.” He landed a sober look on Ben. “Understand?”

“No.” Ben blurted and Rey swallowed a growl of frustration at her husband’s refusal to comprehend. He could be so dense sometimes.

“I’m sayin’, son,” Marshal Johnson continued, obviously calling on all the patience he possessed, “that you’re not goin’ anywhere. As far as we’re concerned,” he gestured behind him to the other marshals, who were grim but nodding, “Kylo Ren is dead and he ain’t comin’ back.”

Rey could have kissed the marshal. She could have kissed all of them. She looked up at Ben and saw he had finally, _finally_ gotten what Johnson was saying through his head. His eyes drifted down to her, in a daze, and she smiled through the fresh, happy tears rolling down her cheeks. After a moment Ben grinned back and then he was kissing her, relief pouring from him. 

“It’s over,” he whispered against her mouth. “It’s over.”

She nodded and kissed him hard, far too happy to be concerned with the audience. But she did break away when what remained of Snoke’s shattered gang was ushered past, the marshals needing to get on their way. 

“Marshal Johnson,” she reached out and touched the lawman’s arm to stop him as he moved to join his colleagues. He paused and gave her a kindly smile.

“Please, ma’am, it’s Rian.” 

“Thank you, sir” she said, as earnestly as she could. “Thank you.” Ben nodded his agreement. Rey suspected he was too overwhelmed to say much, because he hadn’t softened his hold on her at all and she could feel his body trembling against hers. 

The marshal looked between them and maybe Rey imagined a bit of mistiness to his eyes. Maybe it was just the sun. “Take care, you two.” With that he tipped his hat to them and strode off to join the others. 

The ranch crew gathered behind Rey and Ben and they all watched as the marshals mounted their horses and trotted off down the road, guarding their on-foot quarry between them. The bodies of the dead were covered and draped over the rears of the horses.

Rey looked back to check on their crew. There were a few scrapes, some wounds that needed to be dressed, but they hadn’t lost a single soul. Rose was on the porch, having cautiously stepped out when the shooting stopped. Finn was with her. Rey sighed and leaned against Ben, allowing herself to be tired as she came to understand that she didn’t need to fight it anymore. None of them did.

They’d won. They’d really won. 

“C’mon, sweetheart,” Ben murmured. “Let’s get inside.” Before she could even nod he swept her up in his arms the way he had when they were first married and he'd carried her over the threshold of the house. 

“Ben!” she gasped and threw her arms around his neck instinctively for support. “Your shoulder!”

“Is fine.” He insisted and gave her a grin that morphed into a softer, adoring smile which made Rey’s heart stutter. “Everything’s just fine.”

Their friends cheered and whooped around them as Rey drew Ben in for a deep kiss, the kind only unfathomable love and profound relief could create. 

They’d have to spend some time rebuilding what Snoke had torn down, but they were alive and safe. The whole, dreadful mess had done at least one good thing: it had proved to Rey - not that she needed much proof - that as long as she and Ben were together, it didn’t matter what happened. They were strong enough to get through anything.

And now they could focus on the things that really counted. On the future and the new life they were bringing into the world. 

Their journey together was just getting started.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay, so the Rian thing was probably a bit on the nose but I couldn't help myself. 😂
> 
> We still have one more visit to make to this world before we let it go and I have a task for you, dear readers: I've been thinking about putting the epilogue in Ben's POV. Let me know if that's something that you'd like to read or if it would be too jarring a switch. Thanks!


	12. Chapter 12

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The epilogue

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> oh wow wow wow i'm emotional send help
> 
> seriously, though, guys I'm so sad to leave this fic. But I'm also excited to continue and finish my other projects. It's all very bittersweet. Thank you again for the love and support you gave this story! I enjoyed the journey with you all so, so much! I hope you like this final peek into Rey and Ben's life on Falcon ranch, from Ben's POV! ❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️

Ben stared into the sleeping face of his newborn daughter in awe. She was beautiful. A layer of fuzzy, dark hair sat atop her head which he knew was going to end up like his. Her eyes were blue as most babies were at birth but he hoped she’d have her mother’s coloring and freckles. Her little nose was scrunched up as she dreamed and he wondered what she was dreaming about. 

A soft noise brought his gaze from the baby to the bed, where his exhausted wife was sleeping. 

The labor had been… rough. On Ben. Rey had handled it much better. She was wonderful and strong and more than he could ever put into words. Braver than he could ever wish to be. He’d hated seeing her in so much pain; it reminded him too much of almost losing her but he’d forced himself to stay, to hold her hand and help her through the worst of it as the doctor and Rose encouraged her. 

In the end she delivered the baby so easily Ben could only explain it as a miracle. 

She deserved the rest.

But nearly as soon as the thought entered his head, Rey’s eyes opened and she smiled sleepily. 

“Hey.”

Ben slowly moved to sit on the edge of the bed beside Rey, careful not to jostle and wake their daughter. 

“Hey, sweetheart.”

Rey nodded at the child in his arms. “She’s something, huh?”

“She’s…” Ben paused and gazed at the baby. “I can’t believe she’s real.”

“I can.” Rey laughed quietly as she pushed herself upright. “She _wanted_ to come out.” Then added softly: “she wanted to meet you.”

Ben smiled and leaned in to kiss his beautiful, far-too-good-for-him wife. She slid one hand into the hair at the back of his head, an answering smile on her lips. 

“You should be resting,” he said as they parted. Rey hummed.

“What about you? You have to be tired after eight hours of letting me break your hand.” 

Ben snorted, a phantom pain running through his fingers at the memory of Rey squeezing the life out of his right hand as she’d pushed the baby out. 

“Remind me not to bet you to an arm wrestle. And I’m fine. I want to stay up. Watch over the two of you.”

“Well,” Rey put a hand on his arm, “at least lay with me. Please. We’ll watch her together.”

The pleading look on her face convinced him and he nodded. Ben rose and - reluctantly - lay the baby down in the crib he had built for her and placed beside his and Rey’s bed. Clyde had helped a little but Ben had wanted the baby’s bed to be made from his own hands. And he was proud of it. 

After ensuring the baby hadn’t woken up, he settled down beside Rey. She wiggled over to lay against him, her back against his chest, her head resting beneath his chin. He put his arms around her and hugged her to him. 

They watched their child sleep, wrapped snugly in the swaddling blankets Leia had sent them, along with so many baby clothes Ben didn’t think the baby would ever need for any ever again. 

“She’s so peaceful,” Rey murmured. “I hope she and Paige get along.”

“They will. And if they don’t we’ll have another so she has an ally. And maybe one more for safety’s sake.” 

Rey turned her head up with an amused look. 

“How many have you planned, exactly?”

“Ten.” He bit back a grin at the horror that flashed across her face. “Sweetheart, I’m jokin’. As much as I’d like a whole brood of little you’s runnin’ around, I don’t think Chewie could handle it.”

His wife’s shoulders shook with barely controlled laughter. “He’d be overrun,” she wheezed. Ben planted a kiss on the top of her head. After another moment, Rey calmed and gave him a thoughtful look. “I would like another. One day. Let’s get Ami through her first year.”

Ben grinned at the already familiar use of their daughter’s nickname. Amidala Breha Solo. Named after two very special women in his family. 

“Agreed,” he said. Rey tucked herself back against his chest and sighed. He could already hear the sleep in her voice when she spoke again. 

“I love her.” She whispered. “And I love you.”

Ben’s throat closed up. 

He hadn’t done a damn thing to deserve the blessings he’d received. Not Rey. Not their daughter. What’s more, in the past few months since Snoke’s death, he and Rey, with a little help from his mother and uncle, had brought the ranch back from the brink of disaster. Things weren’t completely right yet, but their herd had recovered and they had new customers. It was all looking up.

He pressed his lips to Rey’s temple in a lingering, emotion-filled kiss. 

“I love you, too. The both of you,” he murmured when he’d swallowed back the lump in his throat. “More than you could ever know.”

A contented, sleepy sigh met his ears in response and he smiled. The memory of the first time he’d met Rey at the shop in town came to mind. It wasn’t so long ago and yet, he felt like he’d known Rey for longer. In the best way. Like she was the better part of himself, the part that had been missing until he’d found her. And he was whole for the first time in his life. Together they had stopped Snoke and now…

Now he had things he’d never dared dream he’d have: a home, a family of his own, freedom.

To think it all started with a letter.

The wee hours of the morning approached and Ben struggled to keep his eyes open. Rey was already asleep, her breaths even and deep. Maybe it wouldn’t be such a bad idea, he thought, to get a few minutes of rest. Just a few minutes. Ben rested his cheek against the top of Rey’s head and allowed his eyes to drift shut just as the first light of dawn filtered through the window. 

Soon their daughter would be up and ready to take over their lives in the best way.

He couldn’t wait.

**Author's Note:**

> For updates and general reylo silliness follow me on [twitter](https://twitter.com/StarToured) and [tumblr](http://star-toured.tumblr.com/)!


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